Summary
Current Position: US Representative of CA District 9 since 2019 (formerly 10th)
Affiliation: Democrat
District: majority of San Joaquin County centered on Stockton
Upcoming Election:
Quotes:
Our Dreamers deserve so much better than this and we know exactly how to do it. Let’s stop leaving the fate of our neighbors up to some judge somewhere and actually pass the Dream Act.
In 2014, Bessemer Venture Partners hired Harder in its New York office. He moved back to San Francisco and became a vice president of the company. In 2017, Harder left Bessemer to campaign full-time. He moved back to Turlock and taught business at Modesto Junior College.[
California Rep. Josh Harder talks COVID-19 financial hardships
OnAir Post: Josh Harder CA-09
News
About
Source: Government page
Josh Harder is in Congress to fight for the Central Valley. Josh proudly represents California’s 10th Congressional District, located in California’s Central Valley covering Stanislaus County and parts of San Joaquin County.
Josh also serves as a member of the Appropriations Committee. He is the first Democratic member of Congress from the Central Valley to serve on the committee in almost 50 years and will use his role to advocate for more federal support for water infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, and other Central Valley priorities.
Growing up in Turlock, Josh worked as a paper boy at the Turlock Journal, attended Modesto High School, and earned scholarships from the local Rotary Club and the American Legion to attend Stanford University.
Josh started his career in the private sector where he focused on creating jobs and growing businesses. This took him to Kenya and Uganda where he helped small farmers access funding. After receiving a public policy and business degree from Harvard, he taught business at Modesto Junior College before entering public service.
Josh lives in Turlock with his wife Pam and a rotating cast of foster dogs – let him know if you are looking to adopt!
Personal
Full Name: Josh Harder
Gender: Male
Family: Wife: Pam
Birth Date: 08/01/1986
Birth Place: Turlock, CA
Home City: Turlock, CA
Religion: Christian
Source: Vote Smart
Education
Bachelor’s, Political Science/Economics, Stanford University
MBA, Harvard Business School
Master’s, Public Policy, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Political Experience
Representative, United States House of Representatives, California, District 9, 2023-present
Representative, United States House of Representatives, California, District 10, 2019-2023
Candidate, United States House of Representatives, California, District 9, 2022
Professional Experience
Instructor, Modesto Junior College, 2017-present
Vice President, Bessemer Venture Partners, 2014-2017
Consultant, The Boston Consulting Group, 2008-2011
Offices
Washington, DC Office
209 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone Contact: (202) 225-4540
Modesto Office
4701 Sisk Road, Suite 202
Modesto, CA 95356
Phone Contact: (209) 579 5458
Contact
Email: Government
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Growing our Water Supply – Rep. Harder authored and introduced the SAVE Water Resources Act as a wraparound approach to addressing water issues facing the Central Valley by increasing storage opportunities, spurring innovation, and making long overdue investments into water infrastructure. Rep. Harder successfully secured $14 million for projects including in this bill in the 2019 Energy and Water appropriations package.
Protecting Mental Health Care Access – Rep. Harder unanimously passed an amendment to The Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act to guarantee that mental health conditions and substance use disorder are covered by insurance. Read more.
Cleaning up Washington – Rep. Harder’s amendment to The For the People Act was passed as part of the most sweeping piece of election reform and anti-corruption legislation since the Watergate Era. Rep. Harder’s amendment will ensure that when lobbyists interact with members of Congress they must disclose that they are lobbyists. Read more.
Honoring Military Retirees – Rep. Harder led a bipartisan resolution to designate April 18th as Military Retiree Appreciation day to honor military retirees’ commitment to lifelong service and dedication to their country.
Supporting our Law Enforcement – Rep. Harder introduced the Supporting the Health and Safety of Law Enforcement Act to create a new grant program to support coordination between community mental health centers and law enforcement officers on mental health issues.
Honoring Fallen Heroes – After working alongside the family of fallen police hero Corporal Ronil Singh, Rep. Harder announced the Corporal Ronil Sigh and Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act to guarantee that all spouses and children of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty have guaranteed access to federal Pell Grants.
Helping People with Substance Use Disorder – Rep. Harder’s amendment to The Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act was passed by a vote of 243-174. The amendment ensures that health care professionals who help individuals navigate the health marketplace have the necessary training to help those who suffer from opioid addiction. Read more.
Combating Child Abuse – Rep. Harder worked to pass bipartisan legislation he introduced as part of the The Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act which would strengthen Child Protective Services’ (CPS) ability to respond to child abuse and neglect resulting from Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
Election Results
To learn more, go to the wikipedia section in this post.
Finances
Source: Open Secrets
Committees
Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
New Legislation
Learn more about legislation sponsored and co-sponsored by Representative Harder.
Issues
Source: Government page
The Central Valley is a land of immigrants and a land of farmers. We all came here to work hard and get ahead. Just about everyone I talk to agrees that our immigration system is broken.
More and more lately, folks across our nation have started to segregate themselves by ideology, but you won’t see me on cable news fighting with folks – I’m focused on getting things done.
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
Government page
Source: Wikipedia
California’s 9th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. Josh Harder, a Democrat, has represented the district since January 2023.
Prior to redistricting by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission of 2011, the 9th district encompassed part of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Cities in the district included Oakland, Berkeley and Castro Valley. Most of that area became parts of 13th district, while the 9th district in 2012 through 2022 was primarily made up of portions of the 18th and 11th districts from the 2002 through 2012.
Since the redistricting prior to the 2012 election, the 9th district centered on Stockton. It consisted of most of San Joaquin County and portions of Contra Costa and Sacramento counties. Cities in the district include Antioch, Galt, Oakley, Lathrop, Lodi, Mountain House, and Stockton.
With the redistricting in advance of the 2022 elections in California, the 9th district is still centered on Stockton. However, Tracy, Manteca, and Ripon, which were formerly in California’s 10th congressional district, are now part of this district, while Antioch, Lathrop and Brentwood are no longer in the district. Antioch and Brentwood are part of the new 10th district, which is now west of the 9th district (as opposed to south). Lathrop will be part of the new 13th district.
John Kerry won the penultimate version of the district in 2004 with 85.9% of the vote. Barack Obama swept the same district in 2008 with 88.13% of the vote while John McCain received 9.87% of the vote, making it Obama’s best and McCain’s worst performance in California. The latter version of the 9th district (starting in 2012) was substantially more competitive, though it also favored the Democratic Party. According to poll-aggregation website FiveThirtyEight, the 2022 version of the district leans toward the Democratic Party.
Wikipedia
Joshua Keck Harder (born August 1, 1986) is an American politician and venture capital investor who has served as the U.S. representative from California’s 9th congressional district since 2019 (known as the 10th congressional district until 2023). A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Republican incumbent Jeff Denham in the 2018 election by five points.[1] In 2020, he was reelected by a significantly larger margin than in 2018.[2] He won reelection to California’s new 9th congressional district, created through the 2020 redistricting process, which includes the majority of San Joaquin County.[3]
Early life and education
Harder was born in Turlock, California,[4][5] and graduated from Modesto High School.[6] He earned political science and economics undergraduate degrees from Stanford University and a joint MBA/MPP from Harvard Business School and Kennedy School of Government.[7][8]
Private career
In 2014, Bessemer Venture Partners hired Harder in its New York office. He moved back to San Francisco and became a vice president of the company.[9] In 2017, Harder left Bessemer to campaign full-time. He moved back to Turlock[10][11][12] and taught business at Modesto Junior College.[13]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2018
In May 2017, Harder announced his candidacy, joining three other Democrats to challenge Republican Jeff Denham, who had represented the 10th district since 2013 and represented the 19th district from 2011 to 2013.[14] As a result of California’s top-two primary system, Denham and Harder advanced to the general election, with Denham taking 37.5% of the primary vote and Harder 16.7%.[15][16]
California’s 10th district was included on the list of Republican-held seats being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2018.[17] On election night and for days after the election, Denham led in the reported results.[18] On November 9, Harder pulled ahead as absentee ballots were counted.[19] Days later, news outlets projected Harder’s victory,[20] and on November 14, Denham conceded.[21]
2020
Harder ran for reelection in 2020, finishing first in the top-two open primary with 44% of the vote. He bested Republican opponents Ted Howze and Bob Elliott. Harder and Howze advanced to the general election on November 3, which Harder won with 55.2% of the vote to Howze’s 44.8%.[22] In 2020, former president Barack Obama endorsed Harder.[23]
2022
Following redistricting, Harder defeated San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti, a Republican, with 56% of the vote in California’s 9th Congressional district.[24]
Tenure
Harder has represented California’s 10th congressional district since 2019.
After Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, Harder received hate mail intended for Josh Hawley, a United States senator with a similar name who objected to certifying Joe Biden‘s electoral college victory.[25]
Harder voted with President Joe Biden’s stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis. This results in a Biden Plus/Minus score of +32.2 indicating significantly more support for Biden’s priorities than would be expected given the makeup of his district.[26]
Committee assignments
For the 118th Congress:[27]
Caucus memberships
Political positions
Abortion
As of 2019, Harder had a 100% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America for his abortion-related voting record.[30] He opposed the overturning of Roe v. Wade.[31]
Delta Tunnels
In February 2023, Harder introduced a new bill called the Stop the Delta Tunnels Act, that would forbid the Secretary of Army from issuing a permit related to the project, effectively stopping all federal support for the Delta Conveyance Project.[32] In May 2023, Harder criticized California Governor Newsom’s plan to fast-track projects, including the Delta Tunnel project, which Harder had opposed for five years, citing that that project could negatively impact the ecosystem of the Delta in the San Joaquin Valley and affect fishery and agriculture industries.[33]
Policing
Harder opposes defunding the police and has said that he wants to rebuild trust between the public and police. He voted for a police reform bill that would ban chokeholds and establish a policy for use of force that would be standard around the country.[34] In 2023, he introduced a bill to create a grant program that would allow smaller police departments to recruit and retain more officers.[35]
Electoral history
| Year | Office | Party | Primary | General | Result | Swing | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | P. | Total | % | P. | |||||||||
| 2018 | U.S. House | 10th | Democratic | 20,742 | 17.04% | 2nd | 115,945 | 52.25% | 1st | Won | Gain | [36] | ||
| 2020 | Democratic | 69,668 | 44.07% | 1st | 166,865 | 55.16% | 1st | Won | Hold | [37] | ||||
| 2022 | 9th | Democratic | 39,026 | 36.71% | 1st | 95,598 | 54.82% | 1st | Won | Hold | [38] | |||
| 2024 | Democratic | 60,978 | 49.75% | 1st | TBD | [39] | ||||||||
| Source: Secretary of State of California | Statewide Election Results | ||||||||||||||
Personal life
Harder and his wife Pamela met as undergraduate students at Stanford University. They were married at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Virginia in 2018.[40]
Harder and his wife announced they had a baby girl on March 9, 2022.[41]
References
- ^ Michael R. Blood (November 13, 2018). “Democrat Harder ousts California GOP US Rep. Denham”. Associated Press. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ “California Election Results: 10th Congressional District”. The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
- ^ “Josh Harder announces reelection campaign for Jerry McNerney’s seat in 9th District seat”. January 18, 2022.
- ^ Stapley, Garth (August 1, 2018). “Support from two U.S. presidents figures in Denham, Harder race”. The Modesto Bee. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
Harder, who turned 32 Wednesday…
- ^ “Central Valley Democrats fighting to unseat Republican Jeff Denham spar over local ties”. The Mercury News. May 31, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
Despite the fact that he was born in and grew up in Turlock, Harder’s rivals are attacking him as a carpetbagger and Bay Area outsider.
- ^ “Josh Harder — Tracy Press-Patterson Irrigator candidate questionnaire”. Golden State Newspapers. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ Schleifer, Theodore (September 20, 2018). “A venture capitalist is running for Congress in farm country. And his opponent is turning those Silicon Valley years into an insult”. Recode. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ “About Josh”. Josh Harder for Congress. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ “Internal Affairs: Central Valley Rep. Jeff Denham gets a new challenger”. The Mercury News. May 5, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ “Denham calls opponent ‘Bay Area Harder’ — but he spends time and money at the coast, too”. Modesto Bee. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Merica, Dan (May 30, 2018). “A beekeeper and a venture capitalist are among candidates facing off to turn this California district blue”. CNN. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
- ^ Palmeri, Christopher (October 9, 2018). “Can a Rural California Republican Survive the Midterms?”. Bloomberg News. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Stapley, Garth (November 6, 2018). “CA election results: Denham winning against Harder”. The Modesto Bee. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Sarah D. Wire (May 3, 2017). “Central Valley’s Jeff Denham gets new 2018 challenger”.
- ^ “Harder readies to face Denham”. Turlock Journal. June 8, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
- ^ “California Election Results: 10th House District”. New York Times. June 11, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ Kelly, Meredith (May 22, 2017). “Charging Forward, DCCC Announces Battlefield Expansion” (PDF). DCCC Communications Director. Letter to Interested Parties.
- ^ “Josh Harder is in a dead heat in his congressional race to become the only venture capitalist in the House of Representatives”. Recode. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Blood, Michael R. “Democrats gain ground in California US House battles”. www.wmbfnews.com. AP via WMBF-TV in Myrtle Beach, SC. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ “Democrat Harder ousts California GOP US Rep. Denham”. AP NEWS. November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- ^ Eric Bradner. “Democrats pick up two more House seats as Denham, MacArthur concede”. CNN. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ^ “California Results – US Election 2020”. BBC News. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ “First Wave of 2020 Endorsements”. September 25, 2020.
- ^ Mehta, Seema (November 15, 2022). “Democratic Rep. Josh Harder defeats GOP challenger in Central Valley district”. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ “California Rep. Josh Harder faces anger intended for Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley”. Los Angeles Times. February 6, 2021.
- ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). “Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?”. FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ “Josh Harder”. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- ^ “Members”. New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- ^ “Featured Members”. Problem Solvers Caucus. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ “Candidate Profile for Josh Harder”. iVoter Guide. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ Harder, Josh (June 24, 2022). Twitter https://twitter.com/RepJoshHarder/status/1540345711769927680. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Johnson, Brittany (September 19, 2022). “Central Valley congressman introducing legislation to prevent Delta Tunnel project from gaining ground”. KCRA.com. Hearst Television Inc. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ Hagerty, Mike. “Delta Tunnel plan touted by Newsom gets push-back from Congress member”. capradio.org. NPR. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ “Election 2020: Everything you need to know about Congressman Josh Harder”. abc10.com. October 15, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ “Harder Pushes For Local Law Enforcement Funding”. Escalon Times. May 16, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ Primary election:
- “Statement of Vote” (PDF). sos.ca.gov. Sacramento: Secretary of State of California. 2018. p. 86. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
General election:
- “Statement of Vote” (PDF). sos.ca.gov. Sacramento: Secretary of State of California. 2018. p. 51. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ Primary election:
- “Statement of Vote” (PDF). sos.ca.gov. Sacramento: Secretary of State of California. 2020. p. 129. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
General election:
- “Statement of Vote” (PDF). sos.ca.gov. Sacramento: Secretary of State of California. 2020. p. 26. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ Primary election:
- “Statement of Vote” (PDF). sos.ca.gov. Sacramento: Secretary of State of California. 2022. p. 88. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
General election:
- “Statement of Vote” (PDF). sos.ca.gov. Sacramento: Secretary of State of California. 2022. p. 50. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ Primary election:
- “Statement of Vote” (PDF). sos.ca.gov. Sacramento: Secretary of State of California. 2024. p. 81. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ “Pamela Sud, Joshua Harder – The New York Times”. The New York Times. August 12, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Harder, Josh. “Pam and I are overjoyed to welcome our baby daughter, Lillian Gale Harder”. Twitter.
External links
- Congressman Josh Harder official U.S. House website
- Josh Harder for Congress campaign website
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
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