A Running Start

You’ll have to forgive Rep. Brad Sherman if he sounds a little paranoid lately. After all, the freshman Democrat from Sherman Oaks may have cause to look over his shoulder.

“I’m the only person in Los Angeles targeted by [House Speaker] Newt Gingrich,” he said, referring to his making a list of top 10 “vulnerable” Democrats who will be targeted by the Republican Party next year.

He also made another dubious list: the 50 representatives with the largest campaign debt. Sherman ranks 11th with a debt of $624,000, most of which he borrowed from himself.

That’s not the end of Sherman’s troubles. His main opponent so far, Thousand Oaks resident Randy Hoffman, is the wealthy owner of a high-tech manufacturing firm who is prepared to spend substantial sums on his campaign.

Still, Sherman insists he is not running scared. But he is running nonetheless, even though the election is nearly a year away.

Now that Sherman is on his two-month winter break from Congress, he is dashing from one community event to another in a mad rush to get himself seen and heard at just about every function he can find in his west San Fernando Valley-based district.

“I’m the easiest guy to tap on the shoulder, and if you haven’t seen my shoulder today, you will see it tomorrow,” Sherman said.

For example, during one day last week, Sherman’s schedule included a 10 a.m. speech to students at Canoga Park High School, a 1:30 p.m. talk with Seniors for Action in Van Nuys, a 5:15 p.m. meeting with the Mid Valley Chamber of Commerce and a 6 p.m. gathering with the Southland Regional Assn. of Realtors in Van Nuys.

Hoffman has also started to increase his visibility this month since he took time off from running Magellan Systems in San Dimas to become a full-time candidate.

He hopes that by starting early, he can keep credible challengers out of the Republican primary.

“I’m sure that Brad and I will be bumping into each other,” Hoffman said.

With Hoffman’s money and the Republican Party’s efforts to oust Sherman, the race for the 24th Congressional District seat has the makings of one of the hottest campaigns in next year’s political season.

The Republican Party dubbed Sherman vulnerable because he won only 50% of the vote last year, while President Clinton got 52% of the vote in the district. This was considered a weak showing for Sherman, considering that Democrats have a 14% advantage over Republicans among registered voters in the district.

Republicans also noted that next year will be an off-year for presidential elections, a circumstance that favors GOP candidates because Republicans are more faithful voters than Democrats.

“Last year, Clinton won California by a strong margin and Sherman still won by a very slim margin,” said Mindy Tucker, a spokeswoman for the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee. “This is a seat we have an excellent chance of taking.”

She said the RCCC has yet to decide how it will support Hoffman, but she suggested that the organization may send top Republican leaders, such as House Majority Leader Rep. Richard Armey of Texas, to campaign for him.

Sherman, on the other hand, is not expecting the Democratic Party to come to his rescue, saying he will have to rely on good, old-fashioned hard work.

“I’ve got to do this on my own,” he said.

As for his campaign debt, Sherman said that most of it is owed to himself and to close friends, and no one is demanding immediate repayment.

“I’m being patient about getting my money back,” he joked.

But Sherman still worries about the money that Hoffman is expected to contribute to himself. For good reason. Only two months after Sherman took office, Hoffman put $275,000 of his own money in the bank to launch his campaign and expects to spend a total of $1.5 million.

“It’s going to be an expensive race,” said Hoffman.

Hoffman estimates that he has about $250,000 in the bank now. Sherman said he raised about $50,000 in the first half of the year and hopes to raise $150,000 by January. He has scheduled his first fund-raiser of the congressional break for December in Thousand Oaks.

Sherman said he has been told by many friends that he must focus more on fund-raising to fight off Hoffman’s charge. “I have less than people tell me I should have,” he said. “So people are now telling me: ‘Brad, you are being targeted and we want to help.’ ”

But Sherman said money can go only so far. He said he puts more faith in being accessible to voters and responding to their concerns.

A self-described “recovering nerd,” Sherman comes across as bookish, with an offbeat sense of humor. Balding and bespectacled, he hands out combs with his name engraved on the side, saying, “You can use one more than I can.”

But he is also energetic about his work in Washington. When he speaks to audiences, he talks about using his skills as a certified public accountant to try to rein in government spending and reform the much-maligned tax code.

Sherman also emphasizes his pro-environment accomplishments, such as his amendment to the federal budget that provides $700 million to buy parkland.

“If you do a good job,” he said, “the rest should take care of itself.”