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Dan Morain: High stakes, national spotlight in campaign for attorney general
dmorain@sacbee.comPUBLISHED SATURDAY, OCT. 23, 2010

Suddenly, California's race for attorney general has become nationalized –
and the out-of-state players who have stepped into the campaign say a great
deal about the candidates and the power of the office.

Consider this: A political organization based in Virginia, headed by
influential Republicans and funded by tobacco, insurance and gambling
interests is airing an ad to elect Los Angeles County District Attorney
Steve Cooley, the Republican running against San Francisco District Attorney
Kamala Harris.

The buy is large – more than $1 million. The ad is slick and attacks Harris
at her weak point, the death penalty and a decision she made as district
attorney not to bring capital charges against a man who killed a San
Francisco cop.

It may be the first major foray by a national organization into a race for
California attorney general. The point it makes is clear: The person who
holds the job of California attorney general matters, not just to
Californians.

Lest there be any doubt, President Barack Obama dropped by the Atherton home
of former California Controller Steve Westly and headlined a small
fundraiser for about 40 people for Harris on Thursday.

It's not often that a president takes time to raise money for a single
down-ballot candidate. But it makes sense. To win in California, Democratic
leaders need to energize Democrats, including African Americans. Harris is
the one African American Democrat on the statewide ballot.

There's also the matter of reciprocity. Harris and Obama are friends. She
helped Obama raise money in San Francisco when he was running for the U.S.
Senate in 2004. In February 2007, Harris traveled to Springfield, Ill., to
witness Obama's announcement that he would run for president.

She spent a week walking through the cold and snow in Des Moines, Iowa,
knocking on doors for Obama in the days leading up to the first caucus in
January 2008. She and I stood next to one another listening to Obama's
victory speech on the night he won the caucus.

Republicans believe that Cooley, viewed as a moderate who is popular in Los
Angeles, can win.

This battle in particular has serious political overtones. Republicans
believe Harris would become a formidable candidate for higher office in
California, and perhaps nationally, if she is elected attorney general on
Nov. 2. A defeat would not fit with such ambitious plans.

"If that is a byproduct of defeating her, we're perfectly happy with that,"
said Adam Temple, spokesman for the Virginia-based group Republican State
Leadership Committee.

But Temple added that's not the main goal. Rather, the organization is
pushing for Cooley's election because he is "a conservative Republican," who
would "provide a firewall between the federal government and the state."

"At a time when the federal government is overreaching, attorneys general
often are on the front lines," Temple said.

By Election Day, the Republican State Leadership Committee will have spent
roughly $20 million on races for statewide offices, including legislatures
and attorneys general across the country.

The group's chairman is Ed Gillespie, who was counselor to President George
W. Bush. Gillespie and Bush's chief political strategist, Karl Rove, helped
create American Crossroads, which is spending millions to help Republicans
take control of the House and Senate. American Crossroads has given $600,000
to the Republican State Leadership Committee.

Take a look at some corporate donors, culled from the organization's public
filings and from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, and you'll
see the significance of the office of attorney general:

• Blue Cross/Blue Shield, $918,000. Cooley has given ambiguous answers about
whether he would join state lawsuits over federal health care legislation.
Harris embraces the legislation.

• Reynolds Tobacco and Altria, the world's largest cigarette maker, have
given a combined $1.15 million. The attorney general enforces terms of the
$200 billion-plus settlement of the states' litigation against the tobacco
industry.

Cooley's campaign manager Kevin Spillane said Cooley would not be influenced
by donors who help elect him. He added that no one in the Cooley campaign
knew that the Virginia-based group was entering the race. That's the nature
of independent campaigns. They launch attacks, often vicious. If the attacks
are over the top, candidates who benefit avoid taking heat.

In this election, like most, attention has been focused on high-profile
races for governor and U.S. Senate. But occupants of the other statewide
offices matter. If you have any doubt, take a look at how the sophisticated
players spend their time and money.

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Eric D. Schwerin
Rosemont Seneca Partners
(202) 333-1880
eschwerin@rosemontseneca.co