Brad Sherman
Brad Sherman is a survivor. Left for dead in the fiercest Jewish political battle of the 2012 election cycle, the 58-year-old California Democratic Congressman defied a fundraising deficit and an embarrassing viral video to pull off a convincing victory over his foe Howard Berman.
Sherman shouldn’t have had to fight for his spot in Congress. First elected in 1997, the California Jewish congressman was a Democrat in Democrat-controlled Los Angeles district. But with the nationwide redrawing of district lines, Sherman found himself fighting for his political life against fellow Democrat Berman.
Berman, who had served in Congress since 1983, represented a district that now overlapped with Sherman’s. The former allies found themselves head- to-head in one of the most heated campaigns of the year.
The tone of the campaigns grew increasingly bitter in early fall, as the two candidates traded allegations of unethical conduct and fiscal impropriety. The tension seemed to get to Sherman in particular. In October, the congressman actually grabbed Berman’s shoulder in the middle of a debate at a California college, seemingly challenging him to a fight.
“You want to get into this?” Sherman cried. Berman didn’t, and the incident ended — though the Berman campaign made sure it wasn’t forgotten.
Beyond the damage his temper caused, Sherman also suffered from a decision by pro-Israel donors to side with his opponent. Experts said this was because of a perception that the older congressman had more D.C. clout.
Despite all this, however, Sherman won handily on Election Day. Now he’s headed back to Washington, where he could replace Berman as one of the most visible Jewish Democrats in the House.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.