Huffington Targets ‘Career Politics’

Republican Senate candidate Mike Huffington began airing a new television commercial Thursday which complains that Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein is a “career politician.” The ad is scheduled to be broadcast statewide for a week.

* THE AD: It begins with a narrator’s voice saying that Feinstein and Huffington are both millionaires worth at least $50 million each. Snapshots of both candidates appear on the screen along with imitation newspaper clippings. The narration continues with a comparison of the two candidates: “Feinstein has taken more than $6 million from special interests. Huffington won’t take one penny from special interests. Feinstein takes her $133,000 Senate salary. Huffington gives his to charity. Feinstein bills the government for her travel. Huffington pays his own way. Feinstein uses her taxpayer-paid chauffeur to get to work. Huffington drives himself.” The ad concludes: “Can you tell which one is the career politician?”

* THE ANALYSIS: The estimate of both candidates’ wealth comes from the Roll Call newspaper in Washington, which reviewed public records to determine Feinstein’s worth at about $50 million and Huffington’s at about $75 million. The commercial’s reference to Feinstein’s $6 million from special interests refers to the total campaign contributions she reported in her last finance statement. According to her campaign, less than a fifth of that amount comes from political action committees representing special interests while the rest comes from individual donors. Huffington is paying campaign costs out of his own pocket, more than $10 million so far. On charitable contributions, Huffington has given his congressional salary to a children’s organization in his district. But Feinstein’s charitable contributions last year ($175,707) exceeded her Senate income. Huffington has declined to reveal his charitable donations other than the children’s group. About Feinstein’s driver, The Times has reported that a member of the senator’s staff drives her on official business. Feinstein said she paid the staff member for personal trips--including to and from her home--about $2,000 per year out of her own money.