SAN FRANCISCO – Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is headlining a fund-raiser Friday for California Gov. Gray Davis and is expected to add $1 million to his already bulging campaign pot.
The event is part of a two-day swing through the state to highlight Davis' support for abortion rights.
"He is pro-choice and proud of it. He has fought for and will continue to fight for women's rights and that's something that I don't think anybody can take for granted," Clinton told a crowd at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel Thursday.
"(He is) a strong champion of the rights and opportunities of women," she added.
Davis is battling Republican Bill Simon in November's general election, and has criticized the novice politician for his opposition to abortion rights.
Simon has responded to Davis' attacks by saying that Davis is using the abortion issue to deflect attention from the statewide energy and budget crises that snowballed under his watch.
The former first lady's star power is meant to help Davis counter Simon's support from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose popularity is said to have helped catapult Simon over former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan in the Republican primary last month.
Asked to respond to Simon's appointment of several women, including many who support abortion, to task forces that consult his campaign, Davis snapped, "In my administration, women don't sit on task forces, they run departments."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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