Berman and Sherman to face off again in November

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Incumbent Reps. Brad Sherman and Howard Berman, both Democrats, will face off in November after securing respectively the first and second slot in a primary race in a suburban Los Angeles district.

Sherman secured 42 percent of the vote and Berman 32 percent in Tuesday’s primary.

Under California law, the two top vote getters on primary day face each other in the general election, regardless of party affiliation. The decennial redrawing of California’s electoral map left both veteran Jewish lawmakers facing each other in the Democratic primary.

The election so far has focused in part on the candidates’ ties to the entertainment industry and to local politicians.

Berman is favored by industry insiders for championing copyright protections while Sherman has proven more formidable in cultivating local leaders, particularly in the Latino community.

Both candidates are seen as solidly pro-Israel, although in that area Berman is seen as having an edge because of his ranking position on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee and his role in successfully passing enhanced Iran sanctions.