Volunteers for the top two candidates for the San Fernando Valley’s newly carved out 30th Congressional District knocked on doors and made last-second calls today to mobilize supporters to head to the ballot box.

"We're running a really aggressive get-out-the-vote effort," Howard Berman spokesman Zack Tupper said, while dozens of supporters worked the phone lines at the Encino campaign headquarter. "It's been packed in here with folks working hard to get people to their polling locations and making sure they hear our message about Congressman Berman's unmatched record of delivering for the Valley."

Voters in the region went to the ballot in Tuesday's primary to decide between a liberal Democrat, and, well, another liberal Democrat in the race for the 30th Congressional District.

As a result of redistricting following the 2010 Census, Berman (CD-28) and Congressman Brad Sherman (CD-27) will give voters the option of choosing who gets to represent neighborhoods like Tarzana, Encino and Sherman Oaks in the 113th Congress.

Under a new California law, the two candidates with the highest vote total in the primary will advance to a November runoff, meaning Sherman and Berman's contest could drag on another five months if pre-primary poll numbers hold true. A USC Dornsife Online Survey conducted from May 29-31 showed that 32 percent in the new district would vote for Sherman, while 24 percent said they would support Berman.

More than half of the new district is drawn from Sherman's current territory, while only 20 percent comes from Berman's.

"It's true that Congressman Berman has entered this race at a disadvantage," Tupper said. "It's very hard to strategically introduce him to areas of the 30th District that he hasn't represented before."

On the surface, distinguishing between the two men might require a bit of research from the voters. Both men of Jewish faith graduated from UCLA, voted along party lines more than 90 percent and serve as members of the Foreign Affairs committee. Both campaigns also champion the success of receiving funding for expansion of the 405 Freeway as a major accomplishment.

But Berman's supporters say his three decades of representing the Valley sets him apart from his opponent. Tupper alluded to the False Claims Act Amendments of 1986 — a piece of anti-fraud legislation he worked with Republican Senator Chuck Grassley to pass — as one of the major highlights of Berman's time in Congress.

"It's an example of Congressman Berman reaching across the aisle and working with Republicans to pass a landmark piece that saved taxpayers over $30 billion," Tupper said. "During his 15 years in Congress, Brad Sherman has authored three bills that became law. Two of those were for naming post offices."

Although Sherman might not have the same amount of time in office as his rival – the 57-year-old has served in the U.S. House since 1997 – his backers insist that he is more in tune with San Fernando Valley residents. Sherman holds frequent town hall meetings and interacts with district residents at local high school graduations, a campaign representative said.

"Brad Sherman takes care of business in his district," campaign press secretary John Schwada said. "Howard Berman has spent a lot of time on foreign junkets."

Sherman representatives also criticized Berman for joining a small group of Democrats in voting to authorize the invasion of Iraq.

"[Sherman] has exercised his intelligence and experience to make sure that his voters are getting the best deal possible out of their Congressman and is not just somebody who marches in lockstep with whatever the President wants," Schwada said.

The battle for the 30th District figures to be a costly one. The two campaigns combined have spent between $4 million to $5 million, according to The Daily Beast. That figure is expected to rise to $12 million by November’s general election, said the chair of the Los Angeles Democratic Party.

"We've got $3 million in the bank," Schwada said. "He's got lots of support, lots of energy, lots of money and he's able to carry this fight all the way to the finish line."

Berman's supporters, knowing the two candidates will cross paths again in November, barring unexpected returns, said that momentum is shifting in their favor as they prepare for the runoff.

"The difference in their records is clear," Tupper said. "We look forward to continuing to make the case that Congressman Berman should be re-elected to Congress."

 

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Reach staff reporter Danny Lee here or follow him here.