Despite Political Divide, Brothers Jim and Tom Ross Prioritize Familyโฃ Bond
SACRAMENTO, CA – In the high-stakes world of California politics, where fierce competition and partisan battles are commonplace, two brothers have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to preserving their personal relationship despite working on opposing sidesโ of key campaigns. Jim Ross,โฃ a veteran campaign manager, โฃand Tom Ross,โฃ a Sacramento-based businessman, have navigated professional rivalries while maintaining a deep and enduring familial bond.
The brothers’ differing political alignments โrecently โคsurfaced during Newsom‘s redistricting measure, โฃProposition 50, with Jim โคremaining neutral โคand Tom โactively workingโ to โdefeat it. This isn’t โthe first time they’ve found themselves โon opposite โsides of an issue; in 2018, โthey clashed over a ballot โmeasure to expand rent control, which was ultimately rejected byโฃ voters.However, theโ professional disagreementsโ pale in comparison to the strength of their connection. Jim recounted a โespecially challenging period during Newsom’s campaign, whereโ the stress lead to chest pains and a โhospital visit, prompting him โขto seek counsel โขfrom Tom. โ”The only personโ I could really callโ and โคtalk to was Tom,” Jim โsaid. “He understands what it is โฃtoโข work that hard on a campaign. And he wasn’t going to go โand leak โฃitโฃ toโข the press, or โtellโข someone who would use it in some way to hurtโข me.”
Theโฃ brothers consciously avoid discussing โขpolitics,โข recognizing โขthe value of theirโ relationship.โค Thisโ commitment was forgedโ during childhood, โฃsharing aโ bedroom, and solidified through life’s most difficult moments. โLast spring, while theirโ mother was dying,โค the brothersโค received the news of her โคpassing whileโ at their father’s home in โขInclineโค Village. Tom’s immediate concern was for the overnight nurse, asking, “Are you OK? โขIs โit hard for you โto deal with this?” a gesture that exemplifiesโ his empathetic nature,โ according to Jim.
Tom’s own story โhighlights the depth of their bond.โ Following his treatmentโ for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2017, he celebrated by attempting a challenging โคmountain bike โฃride on the Flumeโ Trail in Tahoe. Despiteโฃ stillโ recovering from six months of chemotherapy, he persevered, and Jim was there toโข greet him at โขthe summit,โ proudly โฃtelling two strangers, “That’s myโ brother. Heโ beat cancer.”
Theโ experience brought Tom to tears. โค”Do I want to sacrificeโข that relationship for some stupid tweet, or someโค in-the-moment โขanger?”โข he asked, emphasizing โฃtheโ importance of prioritizing their โคconnection overโ fleeting political disputes. “That connectionโฃ withโ someone, you want to cutโ it over that? That’s just stupid.That’s just โsilly.”