'Lord Of The Rings' Actor Working For Calif. House Candidate

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Sean Astin helped save Middle-earth from Mordor in "The Lord of the Rings" series. But can the actor who played good-hearted "Sam" in the big-screen trilogy save a first-time congressional candidate in California?

Astin is serving as campaign manager for entertainment industry executive Daniel H. Adler, who is one of 16 candidates in a special election next week in the coastal 36th Congressional District.

Adler is waging an outsider's campaign against better-known and better-funded rivals, including Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn and California Secretary of State Deborah Bowen.

Astin says in a statement Monday that his longtime friend is the straight-talking alternative to "career politicians."

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