Rogan, Schiff Near Record for Spending

Led by combatants in the super-costly battle for the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena area’s 27th Congressional District, candidates in Southern California’s hottest House of Representatives races continue to amass large sums, the latest federal records showed Monday.

Together, Rep. James E. Rogan (R-Glendale) and his main challenger, state Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), have raised $9.5 million, making their contest among the most expensive in the nation this year and one of a few that are expected to shatter the nearly $8-million spending record for a House race, set in 1996.

Reports filed with Federal Election Commission and covering the period from July 1 through Sept. 30 showed brisk fund-raising activity in other area congressional races, including two districts with totals above $3 million.

“This is the time in a campaign when money is going out almost as fast as it’s coming in, and the amount raised now is crucial” for paying for campaign mail and television commercials, said Allan Hoffenblum, a former GOP campaign consultant who publishes the California Target Book, which tracks campaigns.

One of the top contests is in the South Bay’s 36th District, where first-term Rep. Steven T. Kuykendall (R-Rancho Palos Verdes) is trying to fend off a challenge from Democratic former Rep. Jane Harman of Rolling Hills. She is trying to regain the seat she held for three terms before giving it up for an unsuccessful run for governor in 1998. The competitors raised nearly identical amounts this period, $358,674 for him and $349,144 for her.

This period’s fund-raising left them with similar overall totals as well, with Harman bringing in almost $1.6 million to Kuykendall’s $1.5 million since the race began.

But Harman entered the crucial final weeks of the campaign with more of her funds left to spend--she had $989,264 on hand at the reporting period’s end to Kuykendall’s $608,486. In Harman’s 1992 race, she spent heavily from her personal fortune, but so far she has not dipped into it this time.

The reports cover contributions to and expenditures by the individual campaigns only and do not take into account sums spent independently by the political parties and interest groups. Those amounts are expected to add greatly to the total tab in some of the closest races, including those for the Rogan and Kuykendall seats, where the Republican Party has bought about $1 million worth of broadcast television advertising time in the vast Los Angeles market.

Rogan raised $1.2 million this period, bringing his overall total to $5.8 million since his reelection efforts began. Much of that was spent on direct mail fund-raising efforts. Schiff collected $764,011, bringing his campaign to $3.7 million overall, an unusually high amount for a challenger and a testament to the national attention the high-stakes race has drawn. The two are close in the amounts of cash on hand as of Sept. 30: Rogan had $968,970, Schiff $842,007.

Rogan’s role in President Clinton’s impeachment and subsequent trial shot him to prominence and helped him collect contributions from around the country, but it also sharpened Democrats’ resolve to recruit a top-tier candidate to try to win in a district that has been voting increasingly Democratic.

Schiff finished ahead of Rogan in the open primary last spring, and several impartial analysts are giving the edge to Schiff.

On Monday, the Schiff campaign released results of its latest poll, which showed him running ahead of Rogan, 47% to 41%. Rogan’s campaign said their polling shows the race to be closer, with Schiff ahead by 1 point during one sampling period and Rogan ahead by 3 during another. The margin of error in samplings such as these is about 3 percentage points in either direction.

The Schiff-Rogan race and at least two or three other House contests around the country are expected to easily exceed the record $8 million spent in Georgia in 1996 by Newt Gingrich, then the Republican House speaker, and Democratic businessman Mike Coles.

The races in California’s 27th and 36th districts are among about four dozen across the country that will determine which party controls the House next year, and the contests have been targeted by leaders in both parties.

Another such race in Southern California is the battle for the 49th District seat in coastal San Diego County held by Republican Brian P. Bilbray.

He is facing a strong challenge from Democratic Assemblywoman Susan A. Davis.

Having raised $308,734 during the recently ended reporting period, Davis had $193,809 on hand. She has raised a total of more than $1.86 million to date. Bilbray raised $324,098 during this period, bringing his total for the campaign to almost $1.53 million. He had $533,863 on hand.

National leaders in both parties are closely watching two other Southern California seats, Long Beach’s 38th District and Ventura County’s 23rd District.

In the 38th District, Rep. Steve Horn, a Republican whose centrist record and strong ties to the community as former president of Cal State Long Beach have enabled him to hang on to the seat despite a 20-point disadvantage in GOP registration, reported raising $106,921 this period, for a total collected of $385,712.

He had $403,131 on hand, however, including funds carried over from a previous race.

Horn’s opponent, Democrat Gerrie Schipske, a nurse practitioner and health policy attorney, raised $161,945 in the period, for a campaign total of $445,128. She had only $11,558 on hand for the final weeks, however, forcing her to continue to concentrate on fund-raising. Democrats have targeted the seat but have yet to steer big donations Schipske’s way. That may be in part because they do not expect Horn to spend a lot on his reelection campaign.

In Ventura County, Rep. Elton Gallegly, a Republican, raised $169,474 but had more than $1 million in the bank by the close of the reporting period, including money left from previous campaigns. For this election, he has raised $958,723.

Gallegly’s challenger, Democratic attorney Michael Case, reported collecting $102,634 this period and had $335,930 cash on hand. He had raised a total of $516,781 for the race, including almost $70,000 in loans he made to himself.

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Congressional Campaign Finances

Reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show campaign fund-raising activity of the major-party candidates in Southern California’s most strongly contested congressional races. Cash on hand refers to the amount a candidate had left to spend by the end of the last reporting period, which ran from July 1 through Sept. 30.

DISTRICT 23

*--*

Candidate Raised This Period Total Raised Cash on Hand Elton Gallegly (R)* $169,474 $958,723 $1,044,069 Michael Case (D) $102,634 $516,781 $335,930

*--*

DISTRICT 27

*--*

Candidate Raised This Period Total Raised Cash on Hand James E. Rogan (R)* $1,230,744 $5,832,466 $968,970 Adam Schiff (D) $764,011 $3,660,453 $842,007

*--*

DISTRICT 36

*--*

Candidate Raised Total Cash This Period Raised on Hand Steven T. Kuykendall $358,674 $1,500,615 $608,486 (R)* Jane Harman (D) $349,144 $1,555,794 $989,264

*--*

DISTRICT 38

*--*

Candidate Raised This Period Total Raised Cash on Hand Steve Horn (R)* $106,921 $385,712 $403,131 Gerrie Schipske (D) $161,945 $445,128 $11,558

*--*

DISTRICT 49

*--*

Candidate Raised Total Cash This Period Raised on Hand Brian P. Bilbray (R)* $324,098 $1,525,054 $533,863 Susan A. Davis (D) $308,734 $1,865,486 $193,809

*--*

* Incumbent

Note: Cash on hand may include funds left over from previous campaigns.

Source: Campaign reports to Federal Election Commission