Rep. Henry Waxman Holds Big Fundraising Lead

Rep. Henry Waxman, a staunchly Democratic candidate who has served in Congress since 1975, has more than six times as much cash to spend then his next opponent ahead of the June 5 primary election for the 33rd Congressional District, according to figures released Monday by the Federal Election Commission.

Waxman reported having $985,577 cash on hand at the end of the April 15 quarterly filing period, which dwarfed that of the second-leading fundraiser Steve Collett, a Libertarian, who reported cash on hand of $147,229. The reporting period covered contributions made from Jan. 1 through March 31.

A total of eight candidates were certified to compete in the June primary election, but only four candidates filed their April quarterly report. Bill Bloomfield, a Manhattan Beach small business owner, reported cash on hand of $24,990 and Zein E. Obagi, a Westwood resident and Democrat, reported having $3,623 cash on hand.

"In terms of fundraising, we are on target to raise what we need for June and November and we'll have the resources necessary to run the campaign," said Waxman campaign spokesman David Sadkin on Monday.

Waxman is moving from his 30th Congressional District to the newly drawn 33rd Congressional District. The new district now includes Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach and Palos Verdes and runs north through slivers of Marina del Rey and Venice and also includes Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Malibu, Santa Monica, Westwood, Beverly Hills and the communities of Brentwood, West L.A. and the Pacific Palisades.

Sadkin said that Waxman will be introducing himself to voters in the South Bay, which he hasn't represented before.

"He has a strong record of representing the district very effectively and we hope that he will represent them in the next Congress," Sadkin said.

Waxman, 72, received a $1,500 contribution from another longtime Congressman, Hawaii Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, 87, who has been a senator since 1963. The NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC also contributed $2,000 to Waxman's campaign.

Waxman had contributions this filing period of $24,600 and contributions overall of $413,290, according to the FEC data. The campaign had net operating expenditures of $47,946 this period and $188,593 to date.

The top two vote-getters in the June 5 primary election will advance to the Nov. 6 general election regardless of party preference or whether one candidate receives a majority of votes in the primary election. The June 5 primary election will include elections for U.S. President, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, as well as state Senate and state Assembly races.

The winner of California's 33rd congressional race will serve a two-year term starting Jan. 3, 2013. The expansive district is heavily Democratic. Of the 430,618 registered voters, only 28 percent are Republicans.