About this time last year, insiders in California Congressional District 10 (CA-10) were predicting another win for Jeff Denham, the seemingly invincible incumbent with an eight year term of office and the overwhelming support of local farmers and business people. Denham’s win seemed so inevitable that even some of the district’s most influential Democrats were starting to show up at his fundraisers. Congressman Denham may have been leading, but his […]
Josh Harder for congress
Josh Harder One-on-One
Continuing the blistering pace he set during his campaign for Congress, Josh Harder has been meeting one-on-one with constituents throughout his district since Saturday. He’s also holding town hall meetings while visiting locales from Turlock to Tracy and points between. Saturday, he hosted “office hours” at the Veterans’ Center in Modesto, participated in the Women’s March, and then held a town hall meeting in Ceres, where there was standing room […]
Valley Democrats: It’s About Winning
The midterm wave of Democratic wins in traditionally Republican California districts brought on a spate of conspiracy theories, none wackier than the one put forward by California District 1o (CA-10) loser Ted Howze. But it turns out District 10 was indeed illustrative of several factors that could well determine the future of the Democratic Party, not just in California, but across the nation. The Primary race began with a crowded […]
Ted Howze Careens Down the Trump Hole
In a bizarre excursion into Trumpworld, candidate for Congress Ted Howze has accused “Democrats” of, “a coordinated voter fraud scheme to steal a seat in U.S. House of Representatives from Republicans in the California 10th.” Let that sink in. Voter fraud is a felony, punishable by five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine, but Howze isn’t claiming an isolated instance here. He’s not only argued that Democrats […]
Harder for the Win
Only days before the November 6 General Election, Jeff Denham was telling journalists he didn’t think his contest against challenger Josh Harder would be close. “They’ve brought in people before…,” said Denham, before trailing off. The implication was that Harder was just another outsider brought in by the Democratic Party to offer a token challenge for an incumbent most political insiders thought invincible—and for good reason. In 2016, when Hillary […]
Still Undecided? Vote for America
Once upon a time there was an America people believed in. Like most things people believe in, part of the power of the belief was based on myth. Myths are stories that don’t have to be factual to be true. Consider the myth of George Washington and the cherry tree, for example. The anecdote—little George confessing to chopping down his father’s cherry tree—may or may not be factual, but the […]
Jeff Denham’s True (Water) Colors
Assistant Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt doesn’t get much attention. He probably likes it that way. If more people knew about his previous job as a high-priced lobbyist for Westlands Water District, there might be more publicity about his attempts to influence California water policy. As it is, the people getting credit for the Trump administration’s western water policy are Jeff Denham, David Valadao, Devin Nunes and Kevin McCarthy, all […]
Jeff Denham’s Supporters: Analysis by Bruce Frohman
No matter what Congressman Jeff Denham says or does, the politician has a dedicated cadre of supporters who cannot and will not be swayed to vote for anyone else. They are proud of their loyalty and may defend their opinion to the point of incivility. Mr. Denham’s supporters are not deplorable. They are not evil people. They are not stupid. They have a viewpoint that they strongly believe in. They […]
Lies About Harder Nothing New for Denham*
Republican Laura Perry will never forget how Jeff Denham campaigned in the 2000 California Assembly Primary. Denham’s campaign achieved new lows even then: “They told out-and-out lies,” said Perry, who later became a Gavilan College Trustee. “It was a very dirty primary. He had no experience. He didn’t even know that a bond wasn’t a tax.” Denham’s dirty tactics surfaced again in his 2002 campaign for the 12th District’s California […]
Harder Rolls Denham
Jeff Denham came into the room shouting and left the room shouting and no one knows why. A big man, maybe Denham thought he could intimidate Turlock native Josh Harder, his opponent in the race to represent California’s 10th Congressional District in Washington DC. But Harder was on his home turf and seemed to grow more and more comfortable as the debate between the two went on at Turlock’s Carnegie […]