Seventy-one-year-old California Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman is facing a primary challenge from filmmaker and journalist Anna Wilding ahead of next year's midterm race.

That contest may have taken a new turn this week after the aging Democratic lawmaker was busted looking at scantily clad women on a plane. 

Social media post features Sherman staring at an electronic device

According to the Daily Mail, Sherman's behavior was documented via a series of photographs which were published by a left-leaning social media account.

Why did California Congressman Brad Sherman feel it was appropriate to look at porn on his iPad during a flight today? His district deserves better representation than this!! #CA32 pic.twitter.com/gAYZ82tyr2

— Dear White Staffers (@dearwhitestaff) November 14, 2025

"Why did California Congressman Brad Sherman feel it was appropriate to look at porn on his iPad during a flight today? His district deserves better representation than this!" the post read.

Below were several images in which the congressman could be seen staring at an electronic device displaying women wearing what appears to be lingerie.

White House official denounces Sherman as "a total gooner"

Sherman was later quoted as telling Punchbowl News cofounder John Bresnahan that he did not seek the images out but instead found them while scrolling through his X social media feed.

"If I see a picture of a woman, might I look at it longer than a sunset? Yeah," the lawmaker remarked before acknowledging that his actions were not appropriate.

Sherman's actions were met with scorn from some social media users, including Steven Cheung, who serves as White House director of communications.

Cheung put up a post of own which included a close up of Sherman's gaping mouth along with a caption that described him as "a total gooner."

Sherman's office has a history of allegations

This is not the first time Sherman has been at the center of controversy, as the website McClatchy DC reported in 2017 that the longtime Democrat maintained a toxic work environment where aide Matt Dababneh regularly engaged in sexual harassment.

"Congressman Sherman showed zero interest in the personal well-being of his staffers and there’s no reason to believe he would have cared or taken any action if a complaint was made," one former staff member told the outlet.

Dababneh was later elector to the California State Assembly but resigned in the wake of additional sexual harassment allegations.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Sacramento lobbyist Pamela Lopez accused Dababneh of following her into a bathroom, exposing himself, and demanding sexual activity.