[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/10/art.poiznerad.0510.youtube.jpg caption="GOP gubernatorial contender Steve Poizner accuses his rival, Meg Whitman of siding with President Obama on immigration in a new ad."](CNN) - One of the Republicans seeking the GOP gubernatorial nomination in California is accusing his primary rival of standing with President Obama on the hot button issue of immigration.
California State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner takes a hard line on immigration in a new 30-second television spot, which will air on broadcast and cable in markets throughout the state, according to Poizner's campaign.
"Who has the courage and values to stand up to illegal immigration?" one narrator asks.
"Not liberal Meg Whitman," another narrator answers. "She supports Obama's amnesty plan."
The conversing narrators note that Poizner supports Arizona's controversial new immigration law and that he "opposes amnesty" and "will cut off benefits to illegal's, saving millions."
The immigration plan being pushed by Senate Democrats includes a process to legalize an estimated 10.8 million illegal immigrants in the United States. It states that all illegal immigrants living in the United States would be required to "come forward to register, be screened, and, if eligible, complete other requirements to earn legal status, including paying taxes."
Read about the Whitman campaign's response after the jump:
Responding to the new Poizner ad, Whitman's campaign released a radio ad Monday. In it, Pete Wilson, a former Republican California governor, vouches for Whitman.
"Meg will be tough as nails on illegal immigration," Wilson says. "She'll fight to secure our border and go after sanctuary cities."
–CNN Dana Bash's and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.
These people are big on slogans and not so big on the truth.
Tie Polzner to the GOP, Anybody with a brain will make sure he loses.
Again, the question - why is California saddled with these two profoundly unqualified losers? It is a terrible game played by members of the millionaire's club - what a travesty for California!
Haha, there is NO WAY this guy would ever make illegal immigration laws happen in the state of California without the US Military standing behind him.
Steve Poizner is dense, ill-informed, and a dreamer at best.
One would think, ESPECIALLY in CA with all of their financial troubles, that the added TAXES generated by allowing amnesty to illegals who are working here now, but not paying TAXES would be a no-brainer. But I guess it's not no-brainer enough for Poizner!
There have been an immigration probelm in the country for over two hundred years so what new. The desert is a strange place.
Just curious.....who is that in the picture, since it is not Mr. Poizner.
I think its amusing these people are spending so much money when anyone with half a brain will just walk into the ballot and then see the big (R) next to their name and check the one next to the big (D) instead. What a bunch of losers these two are.
If the State of California is still located where I once lived, this guy must be in outer space somewhere or he's just plain crazy.
What an insane country that this has turned into, that someone would consider Meg Whitman a "liberal" (and that loads of sheeple will consider that an insult).
I always find it amusing to watch two GOPers go at it, wielding the equivalent of ideological wiffle ball bats like grade school children running around the back yard pretending to be master jedis dueling with light sabers. Eventually, one of them will give the other one a black eye and then the parents (that's the rest of us with common sense and a willingness to base our decisions on reality) will have to break it up, clean up the mess and make sure it doesn't go any further.
It just shows that these billionaires sometimes leave their brains in the cesspool.
Are these two republican billionaires who claim to know everything about finance and budgetary matters saying that illegal immigrants are responsible for California's ballooning budget deficits in the billions.
Offcourse, the so-called illegals" do not have their skin color so they are just unwanted in California. Yet the last time I visited California these were the very people doing farm labor for the farms of California, landscaping their homes, sweeping and cleaning their offices, bathrooms, homes etc.
Shame to these republican demagogues! Do they seriously want to turn California into a police state like Nazi Gernany, apartheid South Africa, the Jim Crow South etc.
God bless America in the future when these cheap demagogues never win political power.