Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown are coming to the voters by way of debates on television and radio.
Transcript
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VOTERS DON'T HAVE TO GO TO CAMPAIGN EVENTS TO SEE THE TOP CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA. MEG WHITMAN AND JERRY BROWN ARE COMING TO THE VOTERS BY WAY OF DEBATE. THE FIRST WAS TUESDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER IS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY. BEFORE THE DEBATES, THE RACE WAS A DEAD HEAT. WHAT ABOUT NOW? WITH ME IS POLITICAL SCIENTIST THAD HAUSER. HAS ANYTHING CHANGED SINCE THE TUESDAY NIGHT DEBATE?
IN THAT DEBATE, BOTH CANDIDATES SUCCEEDED IN MAKING THE RACE ABOUT WHAT THEY WANTED IT TO BE ABOUT. THEY WANTED TO PUT A KEY QUESTION. JERRY BROWN SUCCEEDED THAT QUESTION WITH THE TAX BREAKS FOR THE WEALTHY. TEXAS OIL AND GREEN JOBS IN CALIFORNIA. THOSE ARE THE JUXTAPOSITIONS HE WANTS TO PUT ON THE BALLOT. MEG WHITMAN WANTS IT ABOUT CHANGE AND FRESH IDEAS. THE OLD SACRAMENTO AGAINST THE OLD POLITICIAN. IN A YEAR WHEN VOTERS ARE ANGRY AT SACRAMENTO AND READY TO MARCH ON SACRAMENTO, THAT IS A THEME FOR HER.
PARTY LEADERS THINK THAT IS AN INDEPENDENT VOTER OR A DECLINED TO DECLARE VOTE TO DECIDE THE ELECTION. HOW SIGNIFICANT IS THAT VOTE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY?
IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY AND ACROSS THE STATE, WE HAVE SEEN THE BIGGEST GROWING FACTION. VOTER WHOSE SAY THEY ARE INDEPENDENT LEAN WITH ONE PARTY. IN --VOTERS WHO SAY THEY ARE INDEPENDENT LEAN WITH ONE PARTY. JERRY BROWN HAS A BIT OF A SHOT OF PICKING UP THE INDEPENDENT AND UNDECIDED VOTERS. HE HAS TO MAKE HIS CASE. HE IS JUST STARTING HIS CAMPAIGN NOW. HE HAS TO MAKE A POSITIVE CASE TO THE VOTERS RATHER THAN WAITING FOR PEOPLE TO BE SICK OF THE MEG WHITMAN ADS.
WE HEARD FROM AN UNDOCUMENTED WORKER WHO SAID SHE WORKED FOR MEG WHITMAN. SHE BASICALLY ACCUSED HER OF KEEPING HER ON AND SHE WAS FIRED WHEN SHE FOUND OUT SHE WAS UNDOCUMENTED. HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS TO THE CAMPAIGN?
THIS IS A POTENTIAL BOMBSHELL. IT COULD BE RELEVANT. MEG WHITMAN HAS BEEN TRYING TO WALK THE FINE LINE OF BEING TOUGH ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND WELCOMING. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS SCANDAL IS IT LOOKS LIKE SHE MAY HAVE HIRED SOMEONE WHO IS HERE ILLEGALLY AND ALSO NOT TREATED THIS WORKER WELL. SHE COULD BE LOSING SUPPORT BOTH ON THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT BECAUSE OF THIS. ON THE OTHER HAND, THIS SCANDAL HAS TAKEN US DOWN THE PATH OF TABLOID JOURNALISM. IT IS LOOKING LIKE ANOTHER ROUND OF THE TIGER WOODS SCANDAL. IN CALIFORNIA, A LOT OF HOUSEHOLDS HAVE A DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL POLICY. IN THE WAY THEY AVOIDED THE SCANDAL WITH THE RECALL CAMPAIGN WHERE ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER WAS CALLED -- VOTERS SUPPORTED HIM ANYWAY.
TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DEBATE. THIS IS FOCUSED ON ISSUES IMPORTANT TO THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY. WHAT KIND OF ATTENTION WILL THAT DEBATE GET NOW THAT WE HAD THIS ERUPTION?
I THINK IT WILL BECOME THE FOCUS. THIS IS THE ONE CHANCE THAT MEG WHITMAN THAT'S EXPLAIN WHAT SHE HAS DONE AND MOVE ON AND GET BACK ON WITH HER CAMPAIGN THEMES. IT WILL BE A TOUGH TRICK FOR HER.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
