Berman, Sherman raise millions in race for Valley seat
Two veteran congressmen fighting for their political lives have amassed millions as they battle for a single San Fernando Valley seat, dwarfing the war chests in most other hot House races in Southern California this year.
Rep. Howard Berman has out-raised fellow Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman recently, but Sherman had more cash left to spend — about $4 million to Berman’s nearly $2.5 million — new campaign filings show. A “super PAC” that supports Berman’s candidacy reported large contributions from two Los Angeles-area business titans, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Sherman started the race for the newly drawn, strongly Democratic district well ahead of Berman, having stockpiled cash from earlier campaigns. A relatively small portion of Sherman’s campaign treasury comes from loans, including an interest-free $250,000 from his personal funds last year. He also has raised $37,000 for the 2014 campaign, mostly from donors who have already given the maximum amounts allowed for the current race.
-- Jean Merl, Los Angeles Times