U.S. House of Representatives
Elections In 1994, incumbent Democratic U.S. representative
Anthony C. Beilenson of
California's 24th congressional district barely survived the
Republican Revolution, winning re-election by a two-point margin, by far the worst election performance of his career. In 1996, Beilenson decided to retire. Sherman then ran for the seat, and won the seven-candidate Democratic primary with 54% of the vote. He has not faced another contest nearly that close since. In 1998, he was reelected with 57% of the vote. Since then, he has been reelected every two years with at least 62%. ;2012 Redistricting following the
2010 census drew the homes of Sherman and fellow Democrat
Howard Berman, who had previously represented the 28th district, into the 30th district. The redrawn 30th was more Sherman's district than Berman's; Sherman retained about 60% of his former territory, while Berman kept 20% of his former voters. On June 5, 2012, Sherman faced Berman in the primary for the 30th district. Sherman finished first, leading 42% to 32%. Under California's new election system, which put the two candidates who received the most votes in the primary against each other, regardless of party, the two faced each other again in the general election. Neither candidate was endorsed by the state Democratic Party. Berman was the more established candidate. He was endorsed by over 20 congressmen, including party leaders
Steny Hoyer and
Xavier Becerra, sitting
Governor Jerry Brown, sitting
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and the state's two U.S. senators,
Barbara Boxer and
Dianne Feinstein. He was endorsed by ten Republican congressmen from California:
David Dreier,
Wally Herger,
Dan Lungren,
Elton Gallegly,
Buck McKeon,
Ed Royce,
Jerry Lewis,
Ken Calvert,
Mary Bono Mack, and
Darrell Issa. He was endorsed by two Republican U.S. senators,
John McCain and
Lindsey Graham, and by Independent U.S. senator
Joe Lieberman. Sherman was endorsed by then-
lieutenant governor (and future governor)
Gavin Newsom, former president
Bill Clinton, and former
Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis. In the general election, Sherman defeated Berman, 60%–40%.
Tenure First elected to the
House of Representatives in 1996, Sherman is serving his 12th term in Congress. He is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Sherman voted with President
Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the
117th Congress, according to a
FiveThirtyEight analysis. Sherman's voting record has most often earned him a 100% rating from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (
AFL–CIO), the Service Employees International Union (
SEIU), and the American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees (
AFSCME). In 2017 and 2018, the
Animal Welfare Institute gave Sherman a rating of 68%. Sherman has earned a 100% rating from the
California Teachers Association, the National Education Association, and the American Federation of Teachers.
Office environment In December 2017, eight former aides to Sherman said that his offices in Washington, D. C., and California had a toxic environment characterized by frequent "verbal abuse from the congressman and senior staff who made them feel bullied and demoralized". A focus of the criticism was
Matt Dababneh, Sherman's district director and a close advisor, Dababneh was elected to the
California State Assembly in 2013
Political positions Abortion Sherman is
pro-choice. He earned a 100% rating from
NARAL and
Planned Parenthood in 2009. Sherman opposed the
overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling it "appalling and outrageous".
Donald Trump On July 12, 2017, Sherman introduced an Article of Impeachment (H. Res. 438) against President
Donald Trump for High Crimes and Misdemeanors on the grounds that Trump attempted to obstruct justice by firing
James Comey from the FBI. Sherman had only one co-sponsor,
Al Green, who first called for Trump's impeachment in May 2017.
Economic policy During the debate over the
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, Sherman was an early and outspoken critic of the proposal, leading the House revolt against the bill, a move that made him "spectacularly unpopular with both the Republican and Democratic leaderships, not to mention K Street". He argued that Bush and his advisors had created a panic atmosphere in an effort to get lawmakers to rubber-stamp the bill. Sherman opposed the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the
Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), arguing that they cost American jobs, fail to protect foreign workers, harm the environment, and cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars. He has also opposed a Free Trade Agreement with South Korea, arguing that such an agreement could undermine U.S. security and economic interests by benefiting China and North Korea. In 2010, Sherman received a 61% rating from the
Chamber of Commerce and a 55% rating from the
National Federation of Independent Business. In 2018, the
Chamber of Commerce gave Sherman a 55% rating on issues relating to budget, spending, and taxes, and a 41% rating on issues relating to businesses and consumers.
Environment Serving on the House Budget Committee in 1997, Sherman authored the Sherman Amendment to the Budget Resolution, providing an additional $700 million for the acquisition of environmentally important lands in FY 1998. Sherman has earned a 100% rating from the
Sierra Club and the
League of Conservation Voters.
Foreign policy In August 2010, Sherman introduced legislation aimed at rescinding China's
Most Favored Nation status as long as there was not "a more level playing field between our two nations". Sherman has introduced or co-sponsored more than 20 bills in the 111th and 112th Congresses that he says "enact tougher sanctions to isolate Iran economically and diplomatically". His efforts have included legislation designed to close loopholes for U.S. companies with subsidiaries operating in
Iran, and to curtail U.S. funding of international organizations providing loans to Iran. Sherman has been a strong supporter and advocate of the
U.S-Israel relationship, consistently supporting aid to
Israel. In 2016, he called the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Washington's chief pro-Israel lobbying and advocacy organization, "the single most important organization in promoting the U.S.-Israel alliance". In 2004, Sherman first introduced the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation Act. It provides grants to joint ventures between American and Israeli academics and private companies that conduct research and develop energy-efficient and
renewable energy technologies. On July 9, 2014, Sherman appeared as a guest commentator on the
Al Jazeera America's network. During his appearance, he criticized the network's
Qatar-based owners for funding
Hamas. Sherman said: "Every one of those rockets [fired by Hamas into Israeli cities] is a war crime, almost every one. Of course it's a war crime committed by Hamas. And of course the owners of this TV network help fund Hamas." Sherman emphasized that Hamas often aims attacks at civilian targets. The Qatari government owns Al Jazeera. In December 2014, Sherman and Representative
Pete Roskam requested new
sanctions on Qatar in a letter to Secretary of Treasury
Jack Lew. They also asked for a detailed accounting of public and private financing from within Qatar for Hamas,
Al-Qaeda, the
Islamic State, and the
al-Nusra Front. Sherman and other pro-Israel members of Congress have introduced legislation to allow Israel to be part of the
visa waiver program. The legislation failed because the Israeli government was unwilling to grant reciprocal visa-free travel for all U.S. citizens. He called for the imposition of sanctions against Azerbaijan. Sherman urged the Trump administration to take a tougher line on
China by imposing sanctions on Chinese officials who are responsible for
human rights abuses against the
Uyghur Muslim minority in China's
Xinjiang region. In March 2019, Sherman and other lawmakers wrote Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo a letter that read in part, "This issue is bigger than just China. It is about demonstrating to strongmen globally that the world will hold them accountable for their actions."
Gun control Sherman has received a 100% rating from the
Brady Campaign.
Housing Sherman introduced the Preserving Equal Access to Mortgage Finance Programs Act (HR 1754), which raises the conforming loan limit for
FHA loans in high-cost areas such as Sherman's district.
Internet In 2011, Sherman co-sponsored
SOPA, a controversial copyright bill. His 2012 opponent,
Howard Berman, was an original co-sponsor of SOPA.
LGBT issues Sherman strongly supports
LGBT rights. He earned a 100% rating from the
Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBT rights group, in the
114th,
113th, and
112th Congresses. Sherman is a member of the
LGBT Equality Caucus and supports
same-sex marriage. He voted for the
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010. Sherman was an original co-sponsor of Representative
Jared Polis's
Student Non-Discrimination Act. Sherman is also a co-sponsor of the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act. In 2009, he voted for the
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which imposes additional federal penalties for crimes motivated by hatred on the basis of race, religion, or actual or perceived sexual orientation.
Social Security and health care Sherman has said he is "opposed to creating a voucher system for Medicare". He wants to avoid "turn[ing] Social Security into a welfare program", instead keeping it "for people who contribute to it". Sherman has consistently earned a 100% rating from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare and the
AARP. He supports the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Sherman helped secure funds to develop a new women's and children's patient wing at El Proyecto del Barrio's Family Health Care Clinic in Winnetka.
Transportation He has introduced legislation to implement a mandatory nighttime curfew at
Bob Hope Airport to reduce airport noise in the
San Fernando Valley. In 2022, Sherman expressed concern about the construction of an underground metro line connecting San Fernando Valley with the influent neighborhood of Westside. Sherman asked the
LA Metro to listen to concerns by prominent Westside residents, such as
Fred Rosen and the Bel Air Association Metro Committee. In his letter to LA Metro, Sherman argued that a subway station would not useful in Westside because students at University of California, Los Angeles (which is located in Westside) do not like using the subway.
Wildfires Sherman, whose district includes
Pacific Palisades, an area heavily impacted by the wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes, engaged in a heated exchange on January 24, 2025, during
President Donald Trump's meeting with local, state and congressional leaders following the tour of devastation. Sherman informed Trump that many people affected by the fires had their insurance canceled and urged him to support substantial federal funding for rebuilding programs. However, Sherman also criticized Trump's earlier comments about tying such funding to requirements like Voter ID. The
Palisades Fire started January 7 and burned more than 23,000 acres, killing at least 12 people and destroying more than 6,800 structures. Sherman expressed his support for relief funding in states like Louisiana and North Dakota, even though he disagrees with some of their political policies. "I would never tell someone in Louisiana to keep living on their cousin's couch because we won't help them rebuild until the state aligns with my views on a woman's right to choose," Sherman said. "I'm hoping we can secure these funds and avoid punishing individuals for the policies of their state." Sherman also urged Trump to consider delaying tariffs on construction materials for three years to allow rebuilding efforts to move forward without unnecessary obstacles. Trump responded that he would "take a look" at the proposal. •
Committee on Financial Services •
Subcommittee on Capital Markets (Ranking Member) •
Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion •
Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy •
Committee on Foreign Affairs •
Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific •
Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia Caucus memberships •
Congressional Progressive Caucus •
Congressional Equality Caucus •
Israel Allies Caucus (co-chair) • Congressional Sindh Caucus (chair) •
House Baltic Caucus •
Congressional Arts Caucus •
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus •
Congressional Coalition on Adoption •
Congressional Ukraine Caucus •
Congressional Taiwan Caucus ==Personal life==