The Return of Sami Al-Arian

Josh Gerstein has the rundown on how a Muslim academic, whose political connections probably sunk 2004 Senate candidate Betty Castor in Florida, has won a starring role in California’s combative GOP Senate primary. Carly Fiorina’s campaign is hammering Tom Campbell, who recently entered the Senate race and has become the frontrunner, over his ties to Al-Arian.

“I am deeply troubled by these reports. I think the people of California deserve to know more about Tom Campbell’s association not only with Sami Al-Arian but also … with other people of questionable record,” Fiorina said in a statement. “What is clear is that Tom Campbell and I couldn’t disagree more when it comes to policy regarding our nation’s relationship with Israel.”

The Fiorina campaign held a call today with skeptical-sounding reporters, who were unsure what Campbell had to answer for given the passage of time from Al-Arian’s controversies. “There’s a definite problem here with Tom Campbell in terms of who he’s taking money from and who supports him,” said Marty Wilson, Fiorina’s campaign manager.