Bradley: Meg Whitman Spins and Spends: Mrs. Harsh Faces A Harsh Reality

With campaigning disappearing and becoming irrelevant as we head into the 4th of July weekend, something remarkable has taken place in the race to replace term-limited Arnold Schwarzenegger as California's governor.

We're now essentially one-fifth of the way through the general election. Billionaire Republican wannabe governor Meg Whitman has spent a record-shattering $100 million. Jerry Brown has spent virtually nothing. Yet Whitman's campaign has failed to change anything in the overall dynamic of the race.

With her positive message not working, billionaire Meg Whitman is trying this attack ad against Jerry Brown. The highly-respected factcheck.org denounces it as shot through with falsehoods.

Nearly a month ago, Whitman, who has contributed at least $93 million to her own campaign, more than any state-level candidate in American history, prevailed in the lowest turnout primary election in the history of California. Since then, she's kept spending and spending. But she's gaining no traction.

This week's new Reuters/Ipsos poll confirms the reputable private poll for a statewide initiative campaign that I reported on my site, New West Notes, last week. Then, Brown led Whitman, 46% to 41%.

Now he leads her, 45% to 39%.

Whitman has been blitzing the state with ads following a mere two-day break after her hard-fought Republican primary win. But she hasn't gained ground on Brown, who has not spent a dime.