GOP candidate lends campaign $250,000

An underdog candidate for a South Bay congressional seat has lent his campaign a second $250,000, pushing him past the $500,000 mark and giving him the biggest war chest of any of the 16 contenders to replace former Rep. Jane Harman, campaign records showed Friday.

The latest infusion by Republican businessman and first-time office seeker Craig Huey enabled him to overtake Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who had raised nearly $424,000 in contributions, and Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who had collected about $338,000 as of the April 27 end of the latest campaign finance reporting period.

Democrats Hahn and Bowen are widely perceived as the frontrunners in the May 17 election in the 36th Congressional District, where their party outnumbers Republicans 45% to 27.5%. Most observers expect them to advance to a July 12 runoff, which will be necessary if no candidate wins a majority this month.

In addition to the money from his own pocket, Huey raised about $16,000 in donations, according to Federal Election Commission records. He has sent political mail to Republicans and independent voters and blanketed the district with campaign signs.

Another first-time candidate, entertainment industry executive Dan Adler, a Democrat, reported raising $110,000, including $18,000 that he lent his campaign. He pulled ahead of the better-known Marcy Winograd, an antiwar activist and teacher who twice challenged Harman in Democratic primaries. Winograd, who does not accept corporate contributions, had raised about $74,000.

Other Republicans in the race include Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin, who reported collecting nearly $133,000 including a $20,000 loan from himself, and Redondo Beach City Atty. Michael Webb and Hermosa Beach City Councilman Patrick “Kit” Bobko, who had collected $53,000 and $36,000, respectively. Stephen Eisele gathered $36,000, all but $10,000 of that a loan from his own pocket.

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jean.merl@latimes.com