The campaign for congressional candidate Charlie Brown called on Nov. 4 opponent Tom McClintock to publicly say whether he will campaign with or take an endorsement from outgoing U.S. Rep. John Doolittle (R-Roseville), who Brown and McClintock are running to replace in the 4th Congressional District.

Brown, a Democrat from Roseville, made the request after Doolittle's former aide Kevin Ring was indicted Monday on 10 charges of public corruption, some of them having to do with contacts Ring had with Doolittle.

"Following the primary, McClintock flip flopped repeatedly on whether he would continue campaigning with Doolittle, or accept his endorsement," said Brown's campaign manager, Todd Stenhouse, in a statement. "By contrast, Charlie Brown stood for a fresh start for the people of District 4, and the core values of a career military officer who has spent his entire life defending our country-duty, honor, and integrity."

Brown's campaign noted that Doolittle appeared at a fundraiser for McClintock, a Republican state senator from Thousand Oaks, earlier this year.

They also pointed to statements from McClintock's representatives that the two men would meet after McClintock won the June 3 primary race. Doolittle at one point was quoted as saying McClintock would make a good member of Congress.

Bill George, a spokesman for McClintock's campaign, said McClintock has no plans to campaign with Doolittle.

"It's so hypocritical for Charlie Brown's campaign to mention this when they won't even endorse their own party's nominee for president," George said. "Are they going to endorse and campaign with Barack Obama?

"They do everything except talk about issues in this race," George said.

Ring, who pleaded not guilty at his court hearing Monday, is accused of orchestrating bribes as a lobbyist to Washington, D.C., politicians who were in position to influence planned Indian casinos.

The tribes behind those casinos were clients of Ring and disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who also worked with Doolittle. Though not named in the indictment, Doolittle is believed to be one of the politicians.

Doolittle is retiring from Congress because of the negative publicity surrounding the situations, observers say.

The Pindell Report on Politicker.com rates the 4th Congressional District race as a "likely Republican" win.

ELSEWHERE on PolitickerCA.com:

• Brown campaign says Brown leads polling
• McClintock campaign questions Brown slogan