Craig Huey

An underdog candidate for a South Bay congressional seat has lent his campaign a second $250,000, pushing him past the $500,000 mark and giving him the biggest war chest of any of the 16 contenders to replace former Rep. Jane Harman, campaign records showed Friday. The latest infusion by Republican businessman and first-time office seeker Craig Huey enabled him to overtake Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who had raised nearly $424,000 in contributions, and Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who had collected about $338,000 as of the April 27 end of the latest campaign finance reporting period.

In the first broad test of California's new "top-two" election system, many candidates in heated races for Congress and the state Legislature have been campaigning earlier, spending more money and downplaying their party affiliation as they try to widen their appeal. Gone are the party primaries, except in the presidential race. Now all state candidates appear on a single ballot. Only those who come in first or second on June 5 will move on to the November general election, in which no write-in or other added candidates will be allowed.

Who will compete in the runoff to replace former Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) won't be determined until at least Friday, when workers finish counting the estimated 9,811 remaining ballots, L.A. County elections officials said Wednesday. The top finishers late Tuesday night were Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn and conservative businessman Craig Huey, with 13,137 and 11,648 votes, respectively. But Secretary of State Debra Bowen trailed Huey by just 206 votes. A candidate has five days after the tally is completed to seek a recount.

Lots of candidates need a Rob Katherman this year. He was a Democrat. Then he was a Republican. Now he's unattached. The South Bay area he lives in, bordered by sparkling ocean on the west and gritty manufacturing sites on the east, is much the same. Voters here have toggled for decades across the political divide. Such swing districts and Californians like Katherman -- who sits smack in the political center -- are exactly what reformers had in mind when they pushed in recent years to change state elections.

While the political community focuses on President Obama's record fund-raising haul -- all $86 million of it -- his reelection campaign is just as bullish about the massive ground game that money will help build, an operation that came to bear in Tuesday's special election in Southern California. On a conference call with reporters, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina discussed the transition of Organizing for America from a movement that supported the president's agenda in the first half of his term to one working now toward helping him secure a second term.

Lots of candidates need a Rob Katherman this year. He was a Democrat. Then he was a Republican. Now he's unattached. The South Bay area he lives in, bordered by sparkling ocean on the west and gritty manufacturing sites on the east, is much the same. Voters here have toggled for decades across the political divide. Such swing districts and Californians like Katherman -- who sits smack in the political center -- are exactly what reformers had in mind when they pushed in recent years to change state elections.

Volunteers are knocking on doors and working the phones, and the campaign brochures are landing in mailboxes with increasing regularity. Mail-in ballots are available this week, and a couple of dark-horse candidates have shown they have money to spend. The crowded May 17 election to succeed Jane Harman in Congress has entered a new phase. Sixteen candidates are on the ballot, about half of them with at least some money for substantive campaigns. Most observers expect that no single candidate will win a majority next month; the two highest vote-getters, regardless of party, may well compete in a July 12 runoff.

Lou Baglietto Jr. set some tough rules for a recent congressional candidates' debate: Participants needed a war chest of at least $50,000 or had to have made a good showing in a past election. Some of the 16 people hoping to succeed former Rep. Jane Harman in this month's special vote complained, but Baglietto, who helped organize the debate for the South Bay chambers of commerce, stuck to his guns. Anyone who didn't meet his test was "not going to be competitive" in the race, he said, implying that including the also-runnings would be a waste of time.

When South Bay businessman Craig Huey filed to run for former Rep. Jane Harman's congressional seat in next week's special election, many political observers dismissed him as an underfunded, inexperienced candidate trying to cut his teeth in a crowded field. That changed recently when Huey pumped half a million dollars of his own money into his campaign —enough to spread his conservative Republican, cut-federal-spending message throughout the strongly Democratic district. The money has gone toward mail, signs and TV and radio spots scheduled to start airing this week, all designed to put the first-time candidate on voters' radars.

In the first broad test of California's new "top-two" election system, many candidates in heated races for Congress and the state Legislature have been campaigning earlier, spending more money and downplaying their party affiliation as they try to widen their appeal. Gone are the party primaries, except in the presidential race. Now all state candidates appear on a single ballot. Only those who come in first or second on June 5 will move on to the November general election, in which no write-in or other added candidates will be allowed.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn won't have much time to savor her victory in Tuesday's special election for a South Bay-area congressional seat before she has to run again — and in a district that could soon see significant changes. Hahn, a Democrat in an area where her party enjoys an 18-point registration edge, defeated Republican Craig Huey, 54.6% to 45.4%. But she'll need to start campaigning again soon, as next year's primary is less than a year away. In an interview Wednesday, Hahn, 59, said she was prepared for both the challenges of her new job and the rigors of a looming campaign.

While the political community focuses on President Obama's record fund-raising haul -- all $86 million of it -- his reelection campaign is just as bullish about the massive ground game that money will help build, an operation that came to bear in Tuesday's special election in Southern California. On a conference call with reporters, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina discussed the transition of Organizing for America from a movement that supported the president's agenda in the first half of his term to one working now toward helping him secure a second term.

In a hard-fought special congressional election marked by sharp divisions in ideology and even sharper personal attacks, Democrat Janice Hahn held a solid lead over underdog Republican Craig Huey in partial returns Tuesday. Turnout was just more than 23% but still higher than in the May 17 primary, when less than 13.8% of voters cast ballots to put Hahn and Huey in first and second place, respectively, in a 16-candidate field. Democrats hold an 18-point registration edge in California's largely coastal 36th Congressional District, based in the South Bay. Jane Harman, a Venice Democrat, gave up the seat in February to run a Washington think tank.

In a hard-fought special congressional election marked by sharp divisions in ideology and even sharper personal attacks, Democrat Janice Hahn defeated underdog Republican Craig Huey on Tuesday. Unofficial election night returns showed Hahn won 54.6% to 45.4%. Hahn opened with an early lead and held on to it throughout the night. Before even half the ballots were tallied, congratulatory messages began pouring into Hahn's election night party at a San Pedro waterfront restaurant, and one of the would-be successors to her Los Angeles City Council seat declared himself a candidate.

Voters in the South Bay go to the polls Tuesday to choose Democrat Janice Hahn or Republican Craig Huey to succeed former Rep. Jane Harman as their congressional representative. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the 36th Congressional District, which runs from Venice to San Pedro and juts inland through Torrance, Lomita and parts of other communities. For information about polling places or to report problems, go to http://lavote.net/ . While Hahn, 59, is favored to win, the race has been contentious and hard-fought.

It wasn't supposed to be much of a contest, but the race to succeed former Rep. Jane Harman in Congress has grown increasingly hot — and drawn more and more national attention — as Tuesday's balloting nears. Republican businessman Craig Huey and Democratic L.A. City Councilwoman Janice Hahn took shots at one another Thursday on Larry Mantle's "AirTalk" program on public radio station KPCC-FM (89.3), their only face-to-face meeting of the runoff campaign. Huey called Hahn a "career politician"— she has served 10 years on the City Council — and blamed her and other Democrats for setting the country up for an "economic catastrophe.

In a hard-fought special congressional election marked by sharp divisions in ideology and even sharper personal attacks, Democrat Janice Hahn held a solid lead over underdog Republican Craig Huey in partial returns Tuesday. Turnout was just more than 23% but still higher than in the May 17 primary, when less than 13.8% of voters cast ballots to put Hahn and Huey in first and second place, respectively, in a 16-candidate field. Democrats hold an 18-point registration edge in California's largely coastal 36th Congressional District, based in the South Bay. Jane Harman, a Venice Democrat, gave up the seat in February to run a Washington think tank.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn has raised more than $1 million in her race for Congress, while businessman Craig Huey is relying on his personal bankroll for most of his campaign funds, according to reports filed this week with the Federal Election Commission. Hahn, a Democrat running to succeed former Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) in a special July 12 election, had collected $1,097,461 by the June 22 end of the latest campaign finance reporting period. She reported having $323,348 left to spend and had taken no loans.

The odds may strongly favor the Democrat in next month's runoff to fill an empty South Bay congressional seat, but you wouldn't know it by the vituperative tone of the campaign, a phenomenon more often seen in very close races. Republican businessman Craig Huey, whose second-place finish in the May primary over better-known candidates surprised most observers, is pushing hard for another upset. His rival, Democratic Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, isn't taking any chances, despite her party's 18-point registration edge.