Democratic Candidate in the Spotlight: Harley Rouda of California’s 48th District
Harley Rouda is the Democratic Candidate running to unseat the incumbent Dana Rohrabacher as the House representative for California’s 48th District. There are a lot of positives to point out about Rouda’s candidacy that are valid and exciting in their own right, and we’ll touch on them, but the number one reason to support Rouda is it would mean Rohrabacher is no longer in Congress.
On May 17th, 2017, in an article for the Washington Post, Adam Entous reported that Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader from California and a staunch Trump ally, on June 15th, 2016, said, and was recorded saying, this: “There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump…Swear to God.” In October of 2017, Rohrabacher’s interest in and travel to Russia was deemed suspect enough that the House Committee on Foreign Affairs placed restrictions on Rohrabacher’s access to committee funds.
Rouda states in his website, “I…believe we need to solidify and strengthen our bond with NATO allies, especially the Baltic state nations who are continuously threatened by Russia…” While this is perhaps the biggest and most obvious difference between the policies of Rohrabacher and Rouda, they certainly don’t stop there.
Rouda’s mission statement is essentially that, “The time has come to embrace common sense for common ground.” This is reflected in his support for common-sense gun reform. He also emphasizes that it is important to “trust science” in respect to environmental policy, and notes that he finds environmental protections particularly important for his district, which is positioned along California’s coastline.
Rouda comes from a business background, and he believes that the key to a thriving economy is to ensure a strong middle class and to create more jobs that pay a living wage. He says, “the first step is closing antiquated tax loopholes that benefit outdated industries and the wealthy.” This also applies to campaign finance reform. Rouda supports ending Citizens United, and has refused to accept any contributions from special interest groups.
Health Care is also an important issue for Rouda, including a woman’s right to choose about all aspects of her body and her health. On the ACA, he says, “I [support] the Affordable Care Act…but no policy is perfect and we must continue to adjust, reform, improve, and expand the ACA.” He is also a supporter of Medicare for All, and is “committed to enhancing the accessibility of safe and dependable addiction treatment.”
Harley Rouda won the Democratic primary by only 125 votes, but he stated at the time, “I look forward to defeating Dana Rohrabacher.” We’re hoping he can unite the Democrats of California’s 48th, who had seven other candidates on the ballot in the primary, to flip this important seat in the House and remove a very dangerous, possibly treasonous, Rohrabacher.
To donate to Harley Rouda’s campaign, you can get started by rounding up your spare change here with GroundUp, the grassroots fundraising platform helping you to fund Democrats.
