"You Never Stand Down"

That's what Phil Angelides says his father taught him, a lesson that is likely to explain what has carried the Democrat through a tough gubernatorial campaign that finds him racing from behind just three weeks from election day.

On this morning's edition of The California Report, we take a look at Angelides' campaign and what drives the 53-year-old state treasurer in his effort to unseat Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. What emerges is a profile of a man whose vision about right and wrong was largely shaped by the lessons he learned from his parents-- especially his dad, who he often credits on the campaign trail with sage advice.

An example: "If he thought something unethical or wrong was going on at work, he'd tell his boss." That's certainly what the son started doing in 2004, when he took his criticism of Schwarzenegger's first budget proposal to the public.

But the Angelides campaign has struggled, partly from a lack of campaign cash to rebut charges by the governor about the Democrat's stance on taxes, and partly from what pollsters say is a sense among many Californians that things these days are headed in the right direction.

In an interview on his campaign bus last week, Angelides acknowledged the odds stacked against him, but refused to admit defeat. "I believe in my heart, I'm going to win on November 7th," he said. "But no matter what happens, I'm going to wake up the next morning and I'm going to keep fighting."