Underdog in the race to succeed Jane Harman lends campaign $500,000

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Businessman Craig Huey, an underdog Republican candidate for an open congressional seat, has lent his campaign $500,000, giving him the biggest war chest of any of the 16 people hoping to replace former Rep. Jane Harman, campaign records showed Friday.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn had raised nearly $424,000 in contributions and Secretary of State Debra Bowen had collected about $338,000 as of April 27, the end of the latest campaign finance reporting period.

Democrats Hahn and Bowen are widely perceived as the front-runners in the May 17 special primary in the South Bay-based 36th Congressional District, where their party outnumbers Republicans 45% to 27.5%.

Huey’s loans to his campaign dwarf the amounts available to the five other Republicans on the ballot, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The money, augmented by another $16,000 in contributions, has enabled Huey to send mail to Republicans and independent voters and to blanket the district with campaign signs.

-- Jean Merl