A story I reported 18 years ago for CNN has recently become an issue in the California governor’s race. Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate,
Person: Meg Whitman
Outside Ads Mislead in California
In the race for California governor, outside groups supporting Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown are airing new TV ads that mislead voters. An independent group financed by labor unions distorts Whitman’s record as president and chief …
Whitman: Brown Is Plan-Free
Republican Meg Whitman’s latest ad accuses Democratic rival Jerry Brown of having "no plan" for California should he be elected governor. Brown calls it a "televised lie." We find that Whitman’s ad fudges the facts — but just a little.
The Los Angeles Times vetted this ad quickly, posting its findings July 22. We’ve taken a look as well. Here’s what we found:
Whitman’s claim that Brown has "no plan" is of course an exaggeration.
Whitman, Unions Swap Misleading Charges
A coalition of labor unions called California Working Families for Jerry Brown has relentlessly attacked Meg Whitman since she won the Republican gubernatorial nomination June 8. Now Whitman is firing back — accusing Democrat Brown of …
Jerry Brown, Abortion Providers and Afghanistan Withdrawal
In Episode 19 of FactCheck Radio, we look at a false ad from California GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman about her Democratic opponent Jerry Brown’s supposed "legacy of failure." We also examine whether Bill McCollum has really supported abortion providers, as his opponent charges in the Republican primary for the Florida governor’s contest. And we go back to what Obama really did say about the plans for U.S. troops in Afghanistan in July 2011.
For more on the stories discussed in this episode,
Jerry Brown: ‘A Legacy of Failure?’
Republican Meg Whitman is making false claims about Democrat Jerry Brown’s “lifetime in politics” in an attack ad, her first TV spot of the general election campaign. The two are battling to become the next governor of California. The ad claims that “crime soared” while Brown was mayor of Oakland. That’s false. …
Whitman Ad Misfires
A Meg Whitman ad falsely accuses her opponent in the California GOP gubernatorial primary of presiding over a spending increase of nearly 14 percent in the department he headed as state insurance commissioner. The true increase is half that.
The smackdown between Whitman and Steve Poizner has tightened up in the weeks since we found big factual problems in one of Poizner’s ads last month. Both candidates are straining to cast themselves as "real" Republicans and to label the other as a RINO –
Just the Facts 2010: Attack Ads
The 2010 elections are heating up. In California’s GOP gubernatorial primary, Steve Poizner launched a false ad attacking Meg Whitman. And the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was wrong when it accused a Republican House candidate in Hawaii of pledging to protect tax breaks …
California Governor’s Race, and More on Health Care
In episode 8 of the FactCheck Radio podcast, we look at a false and misleading ad attacking GOP candidate Meg Whitman in the California gubernatorial race, and we debunk more claims about the health care law.
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For more on the stories discussed in this episode see:
California Dreaming April 15
More Malarkey About Health Care April 19
California Dreaming
Steve Poizner, who’s running in California’s GOP gubernatorial primary, has launched an attack on front-runner Meg Whitman, accusing her of not being sufficiently Republican. But several of his claims are off the mark. Whitman has never voiced support for “amnesty” for illegal aliens, however the term is defined …