LOS ANGELES — A California congressman said Friday that he regrets forcefully grabbing another House member during a tense campaign debate but insists he was not threatening his rival with violence.

The confrontation Thursday between Democratic Representatives Brad Sherman and Howard Berman came during the stretch run of a nasty campaign for a Los Angeles-area seat. ‘‘I touched him, I put my arm around his shoulder, I should not have done that,’’ Sherman said. He said the confrontation ‘‘is not emblematic of either of our careers.’’