Tom Campbell is a liberal who supports gay marriage, opposed Proposition 8 and regularly favors higher taxes and more government spending.

Tom Campbell Supports Gay Marriage and Opposed Proposition 8

Over 80% of California Republicans recognize that marriage is a union of a man and a woman and voted to restore marriage by passing Proposition 8. Tom Campbell supports gay marriage and, incredibly, actively urged Republicans to oppose Proposition 8.

Traditional marriage has served California well since before it was a state. It is the one institution that brings men and women together to form families to care for children. While death and divorce too often prevent it, children do best when raised by both a mother and a father in a loving marriage. Tom Campbell’s support for gay marriage ignores the interests of children in the institution of marriage and looks only at the selfish interests of adults. California voters overwhelmingly voted to define marriage as a union of a man and a woman when they passed Proposition 22 in 2000. Unfortunately, after liberal San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom started issuing marriage licenses and sued to invalidate our voter-approved marriage law, activist judges on the California Supreme Court substituted San Francisco’s values for the votes of millions of Californians. Voters had to act to reverse this judicial activism by putting the definition of marriage in our state constitution. Seven million California voters supported Proposition 8. Tom Campbell stood with Gavin Newsom and Barbara Boxer and against the values of California Republicans.

Tom Campbell has a record of over 20 years supporting higher taxes and spending. 

As a member of Congress, he introduced legislation to increase the federal gas tax. Last year, he proposed raising California’s gas tax by 32 cents a gallon.

In 1989, he was the only Republican to vote against the first major tax cut package since 1981.  As a candidate for Senate in 2000, he publicly criticized George W. Bush’s tax cut proposals, calling them ‘unwise.’ 

Tom Campbell has repeatedly refused to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which simply states he will not raise his constituents’ income taxes. Over 400 candidates have signed the pledge this election cycle.

As California’s Budget Director in 2005, Campbell was the architect of a budget that relied heavily on borrowing and was the largest spending increase in state history.

Last year, Tom Campbell actively supported Proposition 1A, which would have extended $16 billion in tax increases for Californians.  It was rejected by 2/3 of state voters.