Harley Rouda is running against incumbent Republican Dana Rohrabacher to represent California’s 48th Congressional District, which contains much of the coastal Orange County area, including Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. Rohrabacher is extremely controversial and is known as the “chief congressional defender of Russian president Vladimir Putin.”
Background and Achievements
Harley Rouda, both a businessman and lawyer, is running to make a difference in California’s 48th. Harley began his post-grad career as a lawyer, before switching to real estate. Along with his family, Harley helped to strengthen their real-estate firm until it became one of the largest in the country. He knows how to help small business owners in Californian and worked as a tech entrepreneur and promises to utilize those skills to help the environment. Harley has spent time helping survivors of domestic violence and will continue to do so in government.
Positions on Key Issues
- Strong supporter of public education
- Supporter of environmental regulations
- Supporter of women’s reproductive health
- Supporter of immigrants and will fight against Donald Trump’s immigration policies
- Supporter of common sense gun laws and safety
Prospects & Opponents
This is going to be a difficult but winnable race for Rouda. The Cook Political Report currently rates it as a tossup, having recently moved it from lean Republican. Hillary Clinton won the district in 2016. Dana Rohrabacher is a conservative who strongly supported Trump’s election in 2016 and his immigration policies. Additionally, he has voted against the Affordable Care Act and Planned Parenthood. After beating 13 other candidates to have a place on the general election ballot, Harley can win this
Endorsements
- Feminist Majority
- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
- The Brady Campaign
- Moms Demand Action
- End Citizens United
- Sierra Club
- Equality California
- Various Unions