Freshman/29″/dt1st/mark2nd
By CHRISTOPHER WOODARD
Staff Reporter
James Rogan came to Congress as a political rookie by Washington standards, though as a member of the majority party, a former prosecutor and a conservative that even liberals call likeable, the Pasadena Republican landed a plum assignment on the House Judiciary Committee just in time for the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
“I don’t take stuff too seriously,” said Rogan, of the massive media exposure. “This town is littered with carcasses of former rising stars of Washington.”
Brad Sherman’s experience as a first-time congressman couldn’t have been more different. The Woodland Hills Democrat has toiled away in virtual obscurity, tackling efforts to loosen the tax code as it relates to stock-option incentives. One of his biggest claims to fame was winning a four-month delay in the importation of Argentinean lemons a quest he undertook at the behest of Ventura County farmers concerned about a Medfly infestation.
“I’m really not a sexy guy,” said the accountant and Harvard law school graduate, who with self-depreciating wit hands out combs during campaign gatherings. “I bet you can use this more than me,” he notes, in reference to his bald pate.
As both men go into the Nov. 3 general election, their different styles and different experiences over the past two years will help determine whether they end up in the 106th Congress. And as could be expected in this very unusual campaign season, nothing is a sure bet.
Rogan, who has been a national media darling in recent weeks and was recently named one of the top 10 political stars of the new century by MSNBC is in a surprisingly competitive race against Democrat Barry Gordon, a former president of the Screen Actor’s Guild.
The 27th District, which takes in Burbank, Glendale, Sunland and Pasadena, is 44 percent Democrat to 39 percent Republican. “Rogan’s the only Republican, while the rest of the representatives in the area are Democrats,” said Allan Hoffenblum, a Republican political consultant. “He has a highly competitive seat.”
Sherman, whose 24th District takes in the West San Fernando Valley and parts of Ventura County, is running against millionaire businessman Randy Hoffman, founder and former CEO of Magellan Systems, a San Dimas company that makes satellite navigation systems.
The Republican Party has named Sherman one of the 10 most vulnerable Democrats in Congress, and Hoffman has drawn the likes of House Majority Leader Dick Armey, Majority Whip Tom Delay and former GOP presidential candidate Bob Dole to stump for him in the district.
“Sherman only got 49 percent of the vote in a landslide year for Democrats. If you can’t do better than that your chances in a low-turnout election aren’t good,” said Todd Harris, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
“A luxury Sherman doesn’t have is being part of the majority,” added Joe Cerrell, a longtime Los Angeles-area political consultant. “This is not the state Legislature where the party in power will throw a bone to the opposition. This is highly partisan.”
As could be expected, both Sherman and Rogan cite a laundry list of accomplishments.
Sherman, who serves on the Committee on Banking and Financial Services, said he helped push through an amendment that provided $700 million for the purchase of environmentally important lands. A total of $6.5 million is slated for the purchase of land in the Santa Monica Mountains for the backbone trail.
Rogan, meanwhile, said he helped secure $2 million in start-up funding to allow Glendale College to create a science education center in which students can interact with Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists. He also joined other lawmakers in pushing through an amendment to a communications bill that insures police and fire agencies will have adequate radio frequencies set aside for their needs.
Then there’s all that media play. Gordon, who said he has raised about $420,000 so far, said the exposure will hurt his opponent more than help him. Rogan, Gordon noted, has been playing himself off as a moderate while aligning himself with the party’s extreme right.
Rogan responded, “Barry’s Gordon’s not even in the Bill Clinton wing of the party, he’s in the Jessie Jackson wing This guy is so far to the left and so extreme.”
Hoffman, a Thousand Oaks resident who has raised close to $1 million $570,000 of which came from his own pocket used a similar tack in his own race against Sherman, who Hoffman says is out of step with his constituents because he is too liberal.
“All you have to do is look at his voting record. He’s voted with Howard Berman and Henry Waxman 80 percent of the time. Neither one of those guys can be referred to as a moderate or pro business,” Hoffman said.
Sherman said the figure is more like 76 percent of the time, but the accusation is meaningless. He said he voted with local Republicans 52 to 55 percent of the time.
Hoffenblum said that although Sherman is in a highly competitive position, he has a big advantage by virtue of being an incumbent. “The problem Hoffman has is, he’s going against an incumbent when people are pretty much satisfied with the status quo,” he said.
