In the last few weeks-- just before the California primary, in which he has a very serious challenge from progressive activist Shervin Aazami-- Brad Sherman has been running thousands of dollars in social media ads-- paid for with taxpayer money. Technically, the ads are legal and technically he isn't specifically asking for votes, but that's how everyone who watches the ads interprets them. You can watch all 7 Facebook ads here. Funny how he hasn't been running the ads when there is no election to face. What a slimy guy!
And please notice that gigantic spike on the very far right of the chart showing his expenditures. Now take a look at his Google spending-- again, taxpayer money not available to challengers.
I spoke to Spencer Slovic, California's top political ad expert and founder of Mycorrhiza Digital, for his thoughts on the matter. "It's pretty clear that Sherman, and other incumbents, are using their congressional office budget to push their 'services' at very opportune times in the election cycle-- mainly, right before the deadline for them to do so. These ads stop just shy of telling people to vote for him. They get his name out there, reinforcing his incumbency and the power he already has. There is an importance to content like this, informing the public about how they can work with their government, but it's a shame that all this outreach only seems to come around reelection time."
Very few first-time candidates understand federal policy like Shervin does. That’s because Shervin worked on Capitol Hill, and one of his campaign’s taglines is that he passed more bills in 2 years as a legislative advocate than Brad Sherman has passed in 26 years as a legislator.
Shervin’s accomplishments include cancelling copays and deductibles for Veteran populations, guaranteeing long-term funding for the nation’s over 1,400 community health centers, and securing over $10 billion for frontline communities for COVID-19 response, maternal healthcare, and drug overdose prevention and treatment.
On the other hand, Brad Sherman’s accomplishments include a bill under the Bush Administration changing the name of a post office in the Valley, and a bill under Trump imposing sanctions on China. He is also one of the top recipients of donations from payday lenders.
Last night, Shervin told me he's "running because the everyday issues facing our communities-- from poverty to homelessness to unaffordable healthcare to the climate crisis-- are only growing more dire. I am running because my lived experiences as an immigrant growing up in working class neighborhoods reflects the lived experiences of many of our district residents-- many of whom feel like their struggles and priorities continue to be ignored by status quo corporate politicians like Brad Sherman. I am running because I believe my hometown congressional district deserves an unapologetic advocate for bold, structural, progressive policy reforms that uplift and empower all of us. In my view, the term 'advocate' is the key here-- because the central question facing our democracy is not whether we have identified the right solutions to preserve and strengthen it, but rather have we elected the right representatives who are steadfast in their commitment to championing the solutions we know to be effective. In other words, it's a question of political courage and a willingness to fight against a status quo that has caused so much harm."
He told me that his "philosophy is that in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, poverty is a policy choice. I believe we deserve budgets that invest in us-- in strong public schools no matter someone’s zip code; in housing and healthcare as human rights; in a Green New Deal that saves our planet from climate catastrophe; in free public colleges and universities and an end to medical and student loan debt."
Shervin can't tap into taxpayer money to run his ads. But this is his newest one and it's on YouTube but needs a lot more exposer. Please watch it and if you can, consider contributing so that it gets more play in the run up to the June 7th primary. Just click here and contribute to Shervin's campaign.