U.S. Rep. James Rogan
Republican Incumbent: California's 27th Congressional District

Republican Jim Rogan is running for his third term as the representative from the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena area northeast of Los Angeles. First elected in 1996, Rogan succeeded Republican Carlos J. Moorhead who retired after serving 24 years in the congressional seat. The conservative Republican rose to national prominence as one of the 13 House managers in the 1999 Senate impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton.

Rogan's rapid climb contrasts with difficult personal circumstances early in his life. A San Francisco native, Rogan dropped out of high school as a young man, and his mother was convicted of welfare fraud. He eventually worked his way through the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a law degree at UCLA. After a stint at a Los Angeles law firm, Rogan became an L.A. County deputy district attorney in 1985 and prosecuted gang members as a member of the "Hardcore Gang Murder Unit." In 1990 Rogan, now 43, became California's youngest sitting judge when he was appointed to the Glendale Municipal Court.

Rogan is actually a former Democrat who campaigned for Jimmy Carter and Ted Kennedy. But he switched parties in 1988, saying Democrats had become too liberal. He entered public office with a special election victory to the California State Assembly in 1994. There, the Republican Caucus elected him majority leader in his first full term, and the California Journal named him best assembly member. Rogan helped Republicans repeal the motorcycle helmet law and pushed, unsuccessfully, to lower business taxes and regulations. But he sided with Democrats on domestic violence, medical marijuana, and penalties for carrying concealed weapons.

Rogan won his seat in Washington in 1996 with a 50 to 43 percent victory over Doug Kahn, a two-time loser to Carlos Moorhead who called Rogan's anti-abortion and pro-Proposition 187 stances extreme. In his freshman term, Rogan joined the House's Judiciary and Commerce committees, and in 1998 became a leader in the Clinton impeachment trial. Active in Judiciary Committee deliberations, Rogan was frequently quoted in the press, urging Clinton's removal.

Rogan's work on impeachment won him name recognition, but it may have made his 1998 re-election tighter. The June open primary, held before his impeachment work, put Rogan 22 percentage points ahead of challenger Barry Gordon, who attacked Rogan as out of touch with his constituents on school vouchers, guns, abortion and other issues. Rogan won in November by just five percentage points.

A born-again Christian, Rogan and his wife, Christine, have twin daughters.