Candidate scraps Mel Gibson fund-raising letter

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – A California Republican will no
longer use a campaign fund-raising letter penned by Mel Gibson
following the actor’s anti-Semitic outburst during a traffic
stop, the candidate’s spokesman said on Wednesday.

State Sen. Tom McClintock, Republican candidate for
lieutenant governor, will stop mailing the letter in light of
Gibson’s comments after being pulled over for speeding last
month, spokesman Stan Devereux said.

Gibson has since been charged with drunk driving amid
speculation his rant about Jews causing wars could affect his
popularity and Hollywood career. Gibson has apologized and
entered an alcohol treatment program.

“Tom was disillusioned by the Gibson incident and his
comments and basically directed the campaign not to utilize
that letter,” Devereux said.

California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres issued a
statement saying McClintock should return the funds raised by
the letter.

“If McClintock wants his rejection of Gibson’s support to
be more than an empty gesture, he needs to return the money
raised by the letter. Anything less is unacceptable,” he said.

Republican political consultant Karen Hanretty said
McClintock’s Democratic challenger and state Insurance
Commissioner John Garamendi should not make an issue of the
Gibson letter.

“It’s not unusual for politicians to be endorsed by
entertainers who have problems in their past,” Hanretty said.

The entertainment industry has long played a role in
California politics, providing campaign funds, activists,
candidates and office-holders, including current Republican
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Republican governor and
U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Prominent Hollywood Democrats who have mulled bids for the
governor’s office to unseat Schwarzenegger include actors
Warren Beatty and Rob Reiner.