Stage Set for Rogan-Schiff Showdown in Fall

It’s official. With primary wins Tuesday, Rep. James E. Rogan (R-Glendale) will take on state Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) for the 27th Congressional District seat.

The results dressed the field for what could be one of the most closely watched House battles in the country. Rogan was a House prosecutor in the impeachment of President Clinton, and the Democratic Party is steering massive resources to Schiff in an effort to unseat Rogan.

Neither Schiff nor Rogan faced opposition from within his own party.

Early election results had Rogan leading in overall votes, despite the 6% edge in voter registration Democrats have over Republicans in the 27th District, which includes Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena.

At his victory party at a hotel in Newport Beach, Rogan sounded confident about what the primary results meant for the race in November.

“Tonight is going to be an important bellwether for how the district feels about Adam Schiff and Jim Rogan,” Rogan said. “I can’t think of anything we’ve failed to do.”

Schiff, who dropped by the Biltmore Hotel downtown after the polls closed to hobnob with other Democratic candidates, said that Democrats typically don’t participate in primaries as heavily as Republicans.

“[Rogan’s] got a lot to prove tonight,” Schiff said. “He better have a big lead tonight or he’s in trouble.”

Political observers have said that Rogan, a former criminal prosecutor in Los Angeles County first elected to Congress in 1996, is vulnerable because of the potential voter backlash from the failed impeachment effort. Angry Democrats have helped Schiff raise more than $1 million, a record for a Democratic congressional challenger.

Rogan so far has raised $2.9 million in his campaign

Rogan said if voters want to focus on his impeachment role, that’s fine.

“But they should judge me on my record--my entire record,” he said.

Schiff, a former federal prosecutor who has served in the state Senate since 1996, said the upcoming race against Rogan isn’t just about the impeachment issue.

“Jim Rogan was in deep trouble before the impeachment,” Schiff said.

Coincidentally, both men and their wives happened to cross paths Tuesday morning at the International House of Pancakes in Burbank.

“No one threw any maple syrup--it was very civil,” Schiff said.

The primaries for other local House seats were much less eventful.

Democrat Howard Berman, one of the longest-serving representatives in the Valley, ran unopposed in the 26th District. Berman has represented the East Valley since 1982 and is expected to cruise to victory in the Nov. 7 general election. There were no Republican candidates in the primary.

In the 24th District, incumbent Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) also ran unopposed. He will face Republican Jerry Doyle in November in the district that includes portions of the West Valley and Ventura County.

And early returns had 25th District Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) routing his primary competition, Lancaster tax consultant Hal Brent Meyers, according to early returns. McKeon, now in his fourth term, will face Democrat Sid Gold in the general election.

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Times staff writers Caitlin Liu and Andrew Blankstein contributed to this story.