An increasingly bitter California congressional race between two House members of the same party turned physical when one aggressively seized the shoulder of his opponent during a debate, yanked him toward his chest and shouted, “You want to get into this?”
The confrontation Thursday between Democratic Reps. Brad Sherman and Howard Berman came amid a nasty campaign for a Los Angeles-area seat.
The veteran lawmakers are running against each other because of California’s new primary system, which sends the top two finishers to the general election regardless of party affiliation.
The lunge by the 57-year-old Sherman appeared to startle Berman, who is 71 and smaller in stature, while the audience hooted and shouted.
Berman’s campaign released a video of the confrontation at Pierce College in the San Fernando Valley.