California Senate race heats up as Tom Campbell surges ahead in polls

In particular, Fiorina and Devore have criticized Campbell for proposing temporary tax increases during his time in 2004 to 2005 as director of California’s department of finance. And they criticize him for supporting Proposition 1A, which was on a special ballot last May.

The measure, which was defeated, would have extended increases in the state’s sales tax, income tax and vehicle license fees for two more years, in an attempt to bring in $16 billion in revenue.

Campbell has also proposed a 32-cent gas tax increase to save teacher jobs.

“Campbell has repeatedly touted himself as a ‘fiscal conservative,’ yet his record reflects a far different picture that includes supporting higher taxes and increased government spending,” said Fiorina spokeswoman Julie Soderlund.

Trevino said: “Tom has been out there supporting billions in tax hikes for the past year. And that’s not going to fly in 2010.”

Campbell, in an interview with The Daily Caller, defended his choices. He said that while “temporary tax increases” are sometimes necessary at the state level, he has never proposed raising taxes to close deficits at the federal level, because there are “much greater areas for cutting … much greater amounts that are not necessary.”

Indeed, Campbell has been very specific in detailing where he would cut from the federal budget.

“The state is different,” he said. “State government, when revenues fall suddenly, can’t print money, can’t send children out of school, have to run the prisons, and that’s why Republican governors have proposed a balance in the budget, and I did the same.”

Campbell said that if he does win the June 8 primary, he would “absolutely “embrace the Republican label. Many have said Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown ran away from the affiliation during his campaign.

“I have proudly been elected as a Republican six times, and in each of those cases in a district that had more Democrats than Republicans,” Campbell said.

He calls President Obama’s economic policy “disastrous” and “extremely dangerous.”

Obama, Campbell said, “appears to have no realization of the limits of the federal government and appears to have no hesitation to spend money that we don’t have,” pointing to the administration’s desire to use money from the $700 billion TARP fund for spending rather than paying down the debt.