Bustamante Dogged by Campaign Funding Issues (Reuters)

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters)

Cruz Bustamante, the Democratic front-runner in the race to replace California Gov. Gray Davis, was dogged on Sunday by questions over improper campaign fund-raising, while Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger repeated his pledge to be a governor who would not be beholden to special interests.

During a media conference following an address to the Asian Pacific Islander Voters forum, Bustamante was repeatedly asked why he had not pulled ads funded with donations from Indian tribes, almost a week after a judge ordered him to return the money.

Offering the same vague reply he has given for days, Bustamante, the state's lieutenant governor, said his campaign was making a good-faith effort to pull the ads funded with questionable contributions, but said at this late date in the campaign it was unclear how much money would be available for refund.

With several of the ads in question still running on television, Bustamante offered no clear explanation as to why they had not been instantly pulled following the judge's order. ---