Brandeis alumnus Dennis Shulman '72, whose unusual story drew national media attention and the endorsement of New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, lost to Republican three-term incumbent Scott Garrett after a long campaign to represent New Jersey's fifth congressional district.Shulman, a blind clinical psychologist and rabbi, obtained 42 percent of the votes in the district after a campaign that lasted 14 months. In August, Shulman told the Justice that he had no background in politics, but decided to run because he "was so outraged about what [he] saw going on in this country," with the energy and economic crises.

He decided to run for office against Garrett, who Shulman said was "so far out of touch with the mainstream and American society" and who voted against stem cell research, aid for Hurricane Katrina victims and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"We did not win the election, but we're right [on the issues]," Shulman said at his concession speech in Paramus, N.J. on election night. In his speech, Shulman called for bringing home troops from Iraq, developing an energy policy by investing in alternative oil and gas and taking global warming seriously, and combating corruption that has prevailed in Washington.

Jeff Hauser, Shulman's campaign manager, said in a phone interview with the Justice, "We were obviously disappointed by the outcome. It was a tough district to generate momentum." The campaign was not able to get enough resources to win the race. Shulman raised about $940,000 for his campaign, while his opponent, raised almost $1,350,000, according to Opensecrets.org, showing Shulman's economic disadvantage in the race.

Hauser said the media coverage the campaign received did not catch the attention of people in the district who live in what Shulman, in August, called the "New York media market." Voters know more about New York city politics, including details about Mayor Michael Bloomberg's life, than about the representatives in their own towns, Shulman explained.

The Shulman campaign received significant support from Brandeis during the campaign. Hauser explained that students, alumni, Board of Trustee members and faculty members took leadership roles in the campaign.

Shulman said in August that he had received "tremendous support from Brandeis alumni," with supporters hosting campaign fundraisers in their homes whose attendance was made up of as much as 70 percent Brandeis alums.

Tamar Ariel '10 and Aaron Voldman '09 served as Brandeis Campus Captains helped work for the Shulman campaign, along with Campus Captains from other schools.

"To support the Shulman campaign at Brandeis we organized phone banks and encouraged our friends from the New Jersey fifth Congressional District to vote for [Shulman]. We worked in partnership with Democracy for America-Brandeis, who endorsed Shulman," Voldman said.

Toward the end of his campaign, Shulman focused on the financial crisis, Hauser said. He wanted to explain to the public how the United States economy arrived at its current status, how to fix the problems and how to prevent them in the future.

"We can't let the financial industry regulate itself. Banks are giving large political contributions to members of Congress," Hauser said. He explained that the financial industry has been regulating itself because Congress votes in the banks' favor after receiving donations from them. Hauser said that when Shulman publicly opposed what he called the corruption in congress, his opponent ended up receiving money from those banks, and Shulman did not have the resources to compete with the money his opponent received.

"[Shulman's] immediate plans are to resume his psychology practice and to continue his role as an assistant rabbi at his synagogue," said Hauser. Shulman told the Jewish Daily Forward that he has not announced any plans to run for Congress in future.

"This campaign was about America. This race was about how the country has lost its way," Shulman said in his concession speech.

Hauser said that Shulman was extremely excited that President-elect Barack Obama was elected. He said Shulman felt there was an importance for a change in national leadership and the clear vision of President-elect Barack Obama as president. Shulman told the Justice in August that the U.S. government should focus on the war, energy, and the economy in the first 100 days of the new administration.

"This election was about living in an America where we not only preach the ideal of American power, but also remind ourselves and the world beyond our borders of the power of our American ideals," Shulman said in his concession speech.