SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown began airing a campaign ad Tuesday casting his rival as a political clone of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a comparison Meg Whitman promptly dismissed by saying most of the governor's experience came in Hollywood and not "the real world."

The 60-second ad shows side-by-side footage of Whitman and Schwarzenegger making similar comments about their business experience, independence and leadership styles.

Brown's statewide ad is a direct attempt to tie Whitman to Schwarzenegger, a reform-minded political outsider who has fallen out of favor with voters as California's budget troubles have worsened. It follows up on one of the state attorney general's key campaign themes—that Californians have already experimented with a political novice and the experiment has been to the detriment of the state.

Whitman responded to the ad by telling reporters in Oakland that Schwarzenegger had good ideas but did not execute them well. The billionaire former eBay chief executive also said the ad failed to acknowledge their different backgrounds—his as an actor, hers as an experienced businesswoman.

"Our backgrounds are entirely different, and I bring a lifetime of common sense from the real world of running businesses and large organizations and creating jobs," Whitman said after touring an elementary school. "Gov. Schwarzenegger did a number of good things, but he was primarily an actor, he was primarily investor, and I think missed a lot of the key things that could have been done."

Whitman said that if she's elected, she would appoint the right people in her cabinet, focus on addressing a small number of issues and bring "real financial leadership" to California.

Whitman has repeatedly sought to distance herself from Schwarzenegger since entering the race, sensing that the two could be seen as too similar because they are both Republicans campaigning on a reform platform and whose first run for public office was for governor.

She has criticized Schwarzenegger in the past for failing to follow through on plans to streamline state government, improve public education and reform the state's budgeting process.

This summer, she blamed California's record-long budget impasse on Schwarzenegger, saying what the state was "suffering from is a tremendous lack of leadership in Sacramento." She also criticized his trade mission to Asia while the state budget remained unresolved.

But that hasn't stopped Brown from trying to link the two on the campaign trail.

At a rally with President Bill Clinton in San Jose on Sunday, Brown described Whitman as a political novice who failed to vote yet wants to start at the top of government.

"If you went into any business in America and you said, 'Here's my resume, it's blank,' they wouldn't even hire you for one of the middle positions or maybe one of the bottom positions, let alone 'I want to be the big boss,"' Brown said to a cheering crowd of mostly college students.

In one segment of Brown's ad, Schwarzenegger says, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Whitman's comment differs only slightly: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for different results."

In another spot, Schwarzenegger proclaims, "I entered this office beholden to no one except you," while Whitman says, "I will owe my office to no one but you."

Whitman can only distance herself so much from the Republican governor because many of her top campaign officials have worked for or advised Schwarzenegger. That includes Whitman's campaign chairman, former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, who was one of Schwarzenegger's most important political mentors.

Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear declined to comment on the ad or Whitman's criticism of the governor.

"The campaigns are going to go at each other. They're going to bring us into it from time to time, but it's just not something people hired us to do—to analyze their ads or their platforms," McLear said. "They hired us to try to solve problems, and that's what we're doing."

He added that Schwarzenegger had recently won approval in the state Legislature for pension reforms and a stronger rainy day fund, which will go before voters in 2012.

He also supported an independent redistricting commission and an open primary system, reforms approved by voters that could bring more moderate politicians to Sacramento and lessen the partisanship.

Asked about the ad at a state capitol event where he was promoting clean cars, Schwarzenegger quipped that his "delivery of the lines was much better in the commercial than hers."

Schwarzenegger has not endorsed either candidate and so far has mostly refrained from commenting on the race. He is scheduled to appear with both candidates next week at the California Women's Conference for a conversation about the challenges facing the state.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)