Labor on the air against Whitman

California Working Families has a new TV ad attacking Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman for her failure to vote for 28 years. It's the first ad in the group's independent expenditure effort supporting Democrat Jerry Brown. The initial buy totals $3 million on broadcast and cable over a three-week period. The ad will run until July 3.

The 30-second spot entitled, "Why" features a news conference exchange where a reporter repeatedly presses Whitman on her voting record.

The group bills itself as a coalition of public employees, firefighters and building trades organizations. Spokesman Roger Salazar told the Ballot Box the buy is just the start of what he expects will be a $30 million media campaign over the course of the summer. "This is really just the initial piece," said Salazar.

During the Republican primary, Whitman's opponent, State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, used a similar line of attack in a TV ad.

Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, has invested as much as $100 million of her own money into the race, according to reports.