GOP Senate race grows heated over Israel

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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-senate-israel25-2010feb25,0,6642209.story


Fiorina and DeVore question Campbell's level of commitment to the U.S. ally. Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz calls Campbell's support for the nation 'unwavering.'


In a dispute that commingles foreign policy and a quest for political advantage, U.S.-Israel relations have taken an unexpectedly central role in the California race for Senate.

Rivals in the race for the Republican nomination are questioning whether former Rep. Tom Campbell is sufficiently supportive of Israel. They base their criticisms on his voting record, statements about a Palestinian homeland and capital, and some of his past associates.

Their allegations have raised enough concerns for Campbell that he plans to meet Monday with the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He also is reaching out to other Jewish leaders. His campaign's honorary chairman, former U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz, weighed in to call Campbell's support for the nation "unwavering."

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The two other major Republican primary contestants, former businesswoman Carly Fiorina and Orange County Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, have launched criticisms of Campbell. The rhetoric has grown so heated that a prominent supporter of Campbell's has accused Fiorina's campaign manager of calling Campbell an "anti-Semite." The campaign manager denies the accusation.

The debate over Campbell's Israel credentials, which has been roiling on Jewish and conservative websites, is a rare one in American politics, and even less frequent in Republican primaries compared with Democratic competitions, said Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC and a former GOP political operative.

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But more than foreign policy appeared to be at play. Evangelical Christians have a strong affinity for the state of Israel, for political reasons and because they say support for it is emphasized in the Bible. For years surveys have shown evangelical support for Israel far outweighs that of the general population -- and evangelicals are a key bloc among Republican primary voters.

"The bigger concern for Campbell is less with Jewish voters than with religious conservatives," Schnur said.

The issue has sparked at least one dispute among prominent Republicans. Former California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson said in an interview that when he called Fiorina manager Marty Wilson to tell Wilson he planned to endorse Campbell, Wilson replied, "Bruce, how can you do that? He's an anti-Semite."
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