GOP Senate candidates take to the airwaves

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The three GOP Senate candidates took to the airwaves this week, though none of the ad buys appear substantive or likely to reach a majority of California voters.

The front-runners to take on Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer in the fall, multimillionaire businesswoman Carly Fiorina and former Rep. Tom Campbell, are airing television advertisements to make their case.

On Thursday, Carly Fiorina unveiled a 30-second introductory ad called “Something Done” that touts her rise from a receptionist to chief of Hewlett-Packard. Her campaign apparently bought a little over two weeks of statewide airtime at the last minute, so few details have emerged about how widespread the ad will be broadcast, and a campaign spokeswoman declined to comment on the scope of the buy other than to say, ‘This is the launch of our statewide ad campaign that will extend from today all the way through the primary.’

The ad’s creator, Fred Davis, said, “It’s not vast.”

Earlier this week, former Rep. Tom Campbell began airing a 30-second ad “Difficult Time,” which features praise for Campbell from Bill Simon, the GOP’s 2002 nominee for governor and one who holds sway among conservatives. Campbell’s campaign declined to comment on the scope of the buy, but a rival effort estimates that the campaign spent about $100,000.

Campbell bought the first candidate ad of the Senate race last week, when he purchased a spot during a Sean Hannity show that featured Campbell and Fiorina. He could not attend because of his teaching schedule at Chapman University.

Orange County Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, who trails Campbell and Fiorina in the polls and has been running a no-frills campaign, bought 30-second spots on several radio stations. The ads feature DeVore arguing that he is the conservative in the race, and touting his military experience and work for President Ronald Reagan. He concludes, “This is Chuck DeVore. Not only do I approve this message, I wrote it.”

DeVore’s campaign called on supporters to help him buy more spots, from $20 for an ad on a Bakersfield station to $700 for one on Southern California’s KFI.

-- Seema Mehta