Don Sherwood
Encyclopedia
Donald L. "Don" Sherwood (born March 5, 1941) is an American
politician. He served as a Republican
member of the United States House of Representatives
, representing Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district
, from 1999 to 2007. He was defeated for reelection by Chris Carney
in November 2006.
, Sherwood attended Lackawanna Trail High School
and graduated from Dartmouth College
in 1963, and spent the next two years in the U.S. Army
. He opened a Chevrolet
-Pontiac
dealership in Tunkhannock
and became well known in northeastern Pennsylvania through his ads in the area. He was also one the original owner principals of Tunkhannock radio station WEMR
, which first went on the air in 1986. Though he has since sold the radio station, the car dealership is still owned by his family. He is married and has three daughters.
Sherwood began his political career in 1975, when he was elected to the Tunkhannock Area School Board. He served on this panel for 23 years, the last six as board president.
Patrick Casey, son of former Pennsylvania governor Robert Casey
, by 515 votes. Some believe McDade's endorsement of Sherwood made the difference, even though Sherwood is considerably more conservative than McDade. Sherwood almost certainly got a boost from Governor Tom Ridge
's landslide reelection victory. Sherwood narrowly defeated Casey again in 2000, most likely helped by George W. Bush
narrowly winning the district.
Redistricting
by the Pennsylvania legislature after the 2000 census made Sherwood somewhat safer. The biggest change came when the legislature shifted heavily Democratic Scranton, which had been the 10th's base for over a century, to the Wilkes-Barre based 11th
, already a Democratic stronghold. In its place, the legislature added some more rural territory that had previously been in the heavily Republican 5th District
. The 10th had long been considered a swing district, though Republicans had held the seat since 1961. Sherwood successfully ran for re-election from this new, much more Republican district against third-party Kurt Shotko in 2002 and 2004, in both cases winning with over 80 percent of the vote.
In 2002, he was named to the PoliticsPA
list of Best Dressed Legislators.
apartment, and called 911
to report she was assaulted. When police arrived, the woman, Cynthia Ore
, accused Sherwood of choking her, though he maintained he was only giving her a backrub. No charges were filed because both Sherwood and Ore refused to provide any details. The report of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department stated, "Both parties have left out significant information or are not willing to discuss in detail what actually happened." http://www.cscc04.com/SherwoodaCharmer.html
The details of that incident went unnoticed until 2005, when Veronica Hannevig, who ran against Sherwood on the Constitution Party
ticket in 2004, distributed a copy of the police report to several newspapers and television stations. Sherwood initially contended that Ore was merely a "casual acquaintance". http://www.cscc04.com/SherwoodaCharmer.html He eventually admitted he had a five-year extramarital affair with Ore, but denied abusing her. http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14902498&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6
Ore later filed a $5.5 million
lawsuit against Sherwood, accusing him of repeatedly assaulting her during their relationship. http://www.scrantontimestribune.com/projects/lawsuit.pdf On November 8, 2005, Sherwood and Ore ended the lawsuit by reaching a settlement, the terms of which were not released.
On November 3, 2006, the Associated Press
reported that a source had revealed the terms of Sherwood's settlement with Ore. The story reports that Sherwood agreed to pay her about $500,000 but a confidentiality clause requires Ore to forfeit some of the money if she talks publicly about the case. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061102/ap_on_el_ho/congressman_settlement It also reported that Ore had, as of November 3, received only about half of the money and that she would receive the other half after the November 7 election, giving Ore "a powerful incentive for her to keep quiet until after Election Day."
The Ore incident damaged Sherwood’s standing with some Republicans. In April 2006, Martha Rainville
, a Republican running for the U.S. House seat in Vermont
, announced that she would return a campaign contribution from Sherwood’s political action committee
. She cited her belief in "strong family values". http://thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16513075&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6 But Sherwood received strong support from Republican leaders for the 2006 Republican primary in his district (see below).
on May 15, 2006, Sherwood "survived a surprisingly strong challenge ... from Kathy Scott, a political newcomer." http://www.yorkdispatch.com/pennsylvania/ci_3833177 Sherwood received 56% of the vote. CQPolitics reported that his "mediocre showing" could be attributed to the admitted affair. http://www.cqpolitics.com/2006/05/pa_house_murphys_easily_win_pr.html Scott did not file a report with the FEC, which indicates that she spent less than $5,000 in her campaign. http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/050306/santorum.html
Prior to the primary, Pennsylvania Senator
Rick Santorum
endorsed Sherwood and recorded an automated telephone call on Sherwood’s behalf, http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/050306/santorum.html as did President
George W. Bush
. http://thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16633822&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6 Sherwood also received campaign contributions from several political action committees of other Republican members of the House. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/23/AR2005102300948_2.html
, a former Defense Department
consultant and Navy
Lieutenant Commander
.
Carney criticized Sherwood's record on the issues, but also ran what the Associated Press
described as "a hard-hitting commercial focusing on the [extramarital] affair". http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15132240/ The ad quoted a voter saying, "This incident with Don Sherwood just cuts right at the core values of our district." The background displayed the text "repeatedly choking" and "attempting to strangle plaintiff", taken from the lawsuit filed by Ore against Sherwood.
Sherwood countered with a television ad in which he apologized for his affair with Ore, but denied ever abusing her. Addressing viewers, Sherwood said, "While I'm truly sorry for disappointing you, I never wavered from my commitment to reduce taxes, create jobs and bring home our fair share." He added, "Should you forgive me, you can count on me to keep on fighting hard for you and your family."
Carney defeated Sherwood in the election, 53% to 47% and became the first Democrat to represent the 10th district since 1960.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician. He served as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, representing Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district is located primarily in the northeast corner of the state. The district was one of the 12 original districts created prior to the 4th Congress. It is currently represented by Republican Tom Marino, who defeated Democratic incumbent Chris Carney during the...
, from 1999 to 2007. He was defeated for reelection by Chris Carney
Chris Carney
Christopher P. "Chris" Carney is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was a prominent member of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition....
in November 2006.
Personal life
Born in Nicholson, PennsylvaniaNicholson, Pennsylvania
Nicholson is a borough in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 713 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Nicholson is located at ....
, Sherwood attended Lackawanna Trail High School
Lackawanna Trail High School
Lackawanna Trail Junior-Senior High School is a secondary school located in Factoryville, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. The school mascot is Lions.-Demographics:...
and graduated from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1963, and spent the next two years in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He opened a Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
-Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
dealership in Tunkhannock
Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
Tunkhannock is a borough in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, 31 miles northwest of Wilkes-Barre. In the past, lumbering was carried on extensively. The chief industry was tanning and there were spool and tub factories, furnaces and machine shops, stave and planing mills, and witch hazel distilleries....
and became well known in northeastern Pennsylvania through his ads in the area. He was also one the original owner principals of Tunkhannock radio station WEMR
WGMF
WCIG is an American radio station, licensed to Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, the seat of government for Wyoming County. WCIG is owned and operated by Family Life Ministries and is part of the Family Life Network.-History: Beginnings as WYMK:...
, which first went on the air in 1986. Though he has since sold the radio station, the car dealership is still owned by his family. He is married and has three daughters.
Sherwood began his political career in 1975, when he was elected to the Tunkhannock Area School Board. He served on this panel for 23 years, the last six as board president.
Congressional career
In 1998, Sherwood won the Republican nomination to replace 10th District Congressman Joseph McDade, who was retiring after serving 36 years in Congress. He barely won the general election that year, edging out DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Patrick Casey, son of former Pennsylvania governor Robert Casey
Robert P. Casey
Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Sr. was an American politician from Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995...
, by 515 votes. Some believe McDade's endorsement of Sherwood made the difference, even though Sherwood is considerably more conservative than McDade. Sherwood almost certainly got a boost from Governor Tom Ridge
Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania , Assistant to the President for Homeland Security , and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security...
's landslide reelection victory. Sherwood narrowly defeated Casey again in 2000, most likely helped by George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
narrowly winning the district.
Redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
by the Pennsylvania legislature after the 2000 census made Sherwood somewhat safer. The biggest change came when the legislature shifted heavily Democratic Scranton, which had been the 10th's base for over a century, to the Wilkes-Barre based 11th
Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district is in the northeastern part of the state and includes Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton and most of the Poconos. Republican Lou Barletta has represented the district since 2011, the first Republican to do so in almost 30 years...
, already a Democratic stronghold. In its place, the legislature added some more rural territory that had previously been in the heavily Republican 5th District
Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district
Pennsylvania's fifth district is currently the largest in area of all of Pennsylvania's congressional districts. It is Republican leaning and is currently represented by G.T...
. The 10th had long been considered a swing district, though Republicans had held the seat since 1961. Sherwood successfully ran for re-election from this new, much more Republican district against third-party Kurt Shotko in 2002 and 2004, in both cases winning with over 80 percent of the vote.
In 2002, he was named to the PoliticsPA
PoliticsPA
- Content :The website focuses on news aggregation, linking to major political news making headlines across the state. The editors write occasional features, like the weekly "Up & Down" scorecard and one-off lists like "Harrisburg's Smartest Staffer" and "Best Dressed Lobbyist" lists...
list of Best Dressed Legislators.
Extramarital affair/report of abuse
On September 15, 2004, a woman locked herself inside the bathroom of Sherwood's Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
apartment, and called 911
9-1-1
9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan .It is one of eight N11 codes.The use of this number is for emergency circumstances only, and to use it for any other purpose can be a crime.-History:In the earliest days of telephone technology, prior to the...
to report she was assaulted. When police arrived, the woman, Cynthia Ore
Cynthia Ore
Cynthia Mirella Ore is a Maryland woman who gained brief notoriety in the second half of 2005 and during the 2006 midterm election, as a result of her widely publicized extramarital affair with Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district Representative Don Sherwood...
, accused Sherwood of choking her, though he maintained he was only giving her a backrub. No charges were filed because both Sherwood and Ore refused to provide any details. The report of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department stated, "Both parties have left out significant information or are not willing to discuss in detail what actually happened." http://www.cscc04.com/SherwoodaCharmer.html
The details of that incident went unnoticed until 2005, when Veronica Hannevig, who ran against Sherwood on the Constitution Party
Constitution Party (United States)
The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
ticket in 2004, distributed a copy of the police report to several newspapers and television stations. Sherwood initially contended that Ore was merely a "casual acquaintance". http://www.cscc04.com/SherwoodaCharmer.html He eventually admitted he had a five-year extramarital affair with Ore, but denied abusing her. http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14902498&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6
Ore later filed a $5.5 million
Million
One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
lawsuit against Sherwood, accusing him of repeatedly assaulting her during their relationship. http://www.scrantontimestribune.com/projects/lawsuit.pdf On November 8, 2005, Sherwood and Ore ended the lawsuit by reaching a settlement, the terms of which were not released.
On November 3, 2006, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that a source had revealed the terms of Sherwood's settlement with Ore. The story reports that Sherwood agreed to pay her about $500,000 but a confidentiality clause requires Ore to forfeit some of the money if she talks publicly about the case. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061102/ap_on_el_ho/congressman_settlement It also reported that Ore had, as of November 3, received only about half of the money and that she would receive the other half after the November 7 election, giving Ore "a powerful incentive for her to keep quiet until after Election Day."
The Ore incident damaged Sherwood’s standing with some Republicans. In April 2006, Martha Rainville
Martha Rainville
Martha Rainville is a former Vermont National Guard Adjutant General, and retired Air Force Major General. In 2006 she ran as the Republican candidate for Vermont's at-large congressional district...
, a Republican running for the U.S. House seat in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, announced that she would return a campaign contribution from Sherwood’s political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
. She cited her belief in "strong family values". http://thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16513075&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6 But Sherwood received strong support from Republican leaders for the 2006 Republican primary in his district (see below).
Primary
In the Republican primaryPrimary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
on May 15, 2006, Sherwood "survived a surprisingly strong challenge ... from Kathy Scott, a political newcomer." http://www.yorkdispatch.com/pennsylvania/ci_3833177 Sherwood received 56% of the vote. CQPolitics reported that his "mediocre showing" could be attributed to the admitted affair. http://www.cqpolitics.com/2006/05/pa_house_murphys_easily_win_pr.html Scott did not file a report with the FEC, which indicates that she spent less than $5,000 in her campaign. http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/050306/santorum.html
Prior to the primary, Pennsylvania Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum
Richard John "Rick" Santorum is a lawyer and a former United States Senator from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference -making him the third-ranking Senate Republican from 2001 until his leave in 2007. Santorum is considered both a social...
endorsed Sherwood and recorded an automated telephone call on Sherwood’s behalf, http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/050306/santorum.html as did President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. http://thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16633822&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6 Sherwood also received campaign contributions from several political action committees of other Republican members of the House. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/23/AR2005102300948_2.html
General election
In the general election in November, Sherwood lost to Democrat Chris CarneyChris Carney
Christopher P. "Chris" Carney is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was a prominent member of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition....
, a former Defense Department
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
consultant and Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
.
Carney criticized Sherwood's record on the issues, but also ran what the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
described as "a hard-hitting commercial focusing on the [extramarital] affair". http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15132240/ The ad quoted a voter saying, "This incident with Don Sherwood just cuts right at the core values of our district." The background displayed the text "repeatedly choking" and "attempting to strangle plaintiff", taken from the lawsuit filed by Ore against Sherwood.
Sherwood countered with a television ad in which he apologized for his affair with Ore, but denied ever abusing her. Addressing viewers, Sherwood said, "While I'm truly sorry for disappointing you, I never wavered from my commitment to reduce taxes, create jobs and bring home our fair share." He added, "Should you forgive me, you can count on me to keep on fighting hard for you and your family."
Carney defeated Sherwood in the election, 53% to 47% and became the first Democrat to represent the 10th district since 1960.
See also
- Notable/competitive House races in Pennsylvania, 2006
- List of federal political sex scandals in the United States
- List of state and local political sex scandals in the United States