Campbell says Whitman camp played no role in contest switch

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GOP Senate candidate Tom Campbell insisted Wednesday that gubernatorial hopeful Meg Whitman played no role in his decision to leave the governor's race, responding to a Huffington Post column that said Whitman's campaign successfully persuaded him to switch contests.

"I received no request from the Whitman campaign ever," Campbell said Wednesday. "I received no approach from the Whitman campaign ever. I made the decision on my own and I reached out to a large number of my friends to ask for their help, including, among them, several strong supporters of Meg."

"The direction was always from me, and the decision was not influenced or suggested by Whitman supporters," he added.

The Huffington Post's William Bradley wrote that "Whitman operatives" in December asked associates of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to persuade Campbell to leave the governor's race in December, using a softer touch than strategist Mike Murphy employed in an infamous e-mail to Steve Poizner. Campbell previously served as Schwarzenegger's finance director.

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/2010/02/campbell-says-w.html