Harder Democrats Surprise US GOP Representative in California, Denham



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LOS ANGELES – Josh Harder, a candidate for the first time, beat Republican Republican Jeff Denham, an American Republican, on Tuesday in California's agricultural belt.

Harder, 32, a venture capitalist, had based his campaign on Denham's vote against the Affordable Care Act, but said he would push for universal health care in Congress. He also claimed that Denham and other Washington Republicans had ignored poverty and health care in the 10th agricultural district of Central Valley, California.

"Washington is broken because our leaders have put the party on the country. I pledge to always put this community first and foremost in Washington, "said Harder in a statement.

As counting of ballots continued, Democrats gained ground in two indecisive home runs in Orange County, California, suggesting a Democratic sweep of four highly contested congressional races in the United States. Republican fortress.

In the 45th district of Orange County, Democrat Katie Porter took a 261-vote lead over Republican Representative Mimi Walters, after taking the head of the incumbent president since polling day.

And in the 39th district, anchored in Orange County, Democrat Gil Cisneros has narrowed the gap with Republican Young Kim.

Earlier, the Democrats won the seats of Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in the 48th County District and retired Darrell Issa, in the 49th district, which runs through the southern end of the county.

With the votes still counted, Harder's advantage increased after Denham took a slim lead on Election Day. After the last update, Harder had a lead of 4,919 votes out of about 185,000 votes counted, a margin too large for the congressman to overcome with the remaining votes.

The Denham campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Denham, 51, had described Harder as a Silicon Valley liberal insider, whose values ​​were closer to those of the Democratic House Leader, Nancy Pelosi, than a district renowned for her cherries and herbs. almonds. An announcement that he posted on Twitter and named "extreme" Harder.

The contest was part of a series of showcase battles in California in Republican districts targeted by Democrats after Hillary Clinton brought them to the 2016 presidential election.

For state Republicans, the defeat of Denham marked another setback in a state where the party had been moving away for years to become irrelevant. Democrats occupy all positions in the state, a supermajority in both chambers of the legislature and a benefit of 3.7 million registered children.

With Harder's victory, Democrats will have at least a 43-10 advantage in the US House.

Denham had been revealed to be a sustainable politician in a district 129 kilometers east of San Francisco, with a Democratic registration boundary. The former legislator elected for the first time in the House of Commons in 2010 is known for his involvement in the water issues that are vital for agriculture. Taking advantage of the strong Hispanic population in his district, he urged Congress to consider becoming a citizen for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States as children and illegally reside there.

Denham won by 3 percentage points in 2016.

This year's race attracted a torrent of campaign dollars: Harder raised more than $ 6 million and Denham $ 4.5 million. At least 26 outside groups spent an additional $ 10 million trying to influence the race, according to California Target Book, which badyzes the campaigns.

Denham attributed the tight race to the money that was flowing out of the district. But he became another victim a year ago when Democrats regained control of the House.

Other California Republican incumbents to lose this year include Rep. Steve Knight in the 25th district, north of Los Angeles.

President Donald Trump has been a factor in the losses of the GOP. He lost California by more than 4 million votes in 2016, and many voters saw the opportunity to send a message to Washington when they voted for the Democrats.

The so-called "resistance" of Trump, California, opposes his policies on the environment and immigration.

Harder, a technology investor born and raised in the district, said voters were trying to thwart Trump's policies that "worsened the situation for most people in this community."

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