Republicans are still favored to become the majority in the House of Representatives, but Democrats nationwide have performed better than expected, leaving a narrow possibility they could maintain their current House advantage. Three Valley races could tip the balance. With half the total votes left to count in the race for newly drawn California Congressional District 13, Republican John Duarte leads Adam Gray by 203 votes. In District 9, Josh […]
Josh Harder
Tom Patti Doesn’t Want to Talk: We Know Why
San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti is running for Congress in California Congressional District 9. His opponent is Congressman Josh Harder. When Patti refused to answer questions from the San Jose Mercury News, it piqued our interest. What was it a candidate for Congress didn’t want to talk about? Turns out, there’s an awful lot. Tom Patti has a long history of financial improprieties, voting to raise taxes, crashing cars, […]
Need Optimism? Think Josh Harder
With the nation lurching ever closer to a totalitarian theocracy and the Valley’s own Kevin McCarthy defining “lily-livered” down in hopes of becoming Speaker of the House of Representatives, there are multitudes of reasons to be pessimistic about our political future. Nonetheless, Valley citizens shouldn’t despair; there are points of light in the darkness. Just think back four and a half years ago and ponder how far we’ve come. Early […]
Flash! Harder to Run in 9, Adam Gray in 13
In a stunning move brought about by the tumult resulting from redistricting in California, Josh Harder just announced he will now be running for Congress in California District 9, a slot previously designated for Representative Jerry McNerney, who is stepping down. Harder had only recently announced for District 13, which includes a large swath of Adam Gray’s current Assembly District. Persistent rumors have circulated that Gray was also thought well-suited […]
Now is the Time to Come to the Aid of Your Country
Susan Eggman and Josh Harder were in downtown Modesto Saturday morning, urging volunteers and their fellow citizens to exercise their most fundamental right under the Constitution of the United States — the vote. When the Founding Fathers debated about what kind of government should shape the new nation they envisioned as an “experiment,” they rejected many alternatives. Learned men, they had recent history as a lesson against monarchs and, “divine […]
Josh Harder: The Paperboy Who Went to Congress
You know that being an American is more than a matter of where your parents came from. It is a belief that all men are created free and equal and that everyone deserves an even break. Harry S. Truman Though he may soon become yet another casualty of new technology, the paperboy is one of our most revered icons. At least two presidents, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower, are among […]
Josh Harder: The Congressman Unmasked
“The Postal Service is enshrined in our Constitution. It’s what brings America together; it’s the connective fabric of America.” We caught Josh Harder without a mask yesterday, but we had to use a zoom lens. Harder has been wearing a face mask and practicing social distancing for months. Monday, he was outside and more than six feet from the nearest person when he took off his mask for a short […]
Ted Howze will Burn You Too
Republican Candidate for Congress Ted Howze is starting to look more and more like Donald Trump, the flailing President whose every move reveals desperation and incompetence. Howze’s latest move must have sounded good at first. In a campaign ad, he juxtaposed a photo of incumbent Congressman Josh Harder and his wife Pam kneeling with masks on next to one of Nancy Pelosi, also kneeling while wearing a mask. Like Jeff […]
Withrow Withdraws Howze Endorsement
Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow has withdrawn his endorsement of Ted Howze, Republican candidate for congress in California Congressional District 10 (CA-10). Howze, rocked by revelations of hateful and racist posts on his social media accounts, has denied he made the posts. But after news about an official rebuke from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Howze faced a rapidly eroding base of support. “I asked around with people I know, […]
Can Democrats Bring a Blue Wave to the Valley?
In retrospect, Jerry McNerney’s upset win over Richard Pombo in 2006 may have been an omen. A seven-term congressman with a high national profile and leadership credentials in the House of Representatives, Pombo’s loss to the low-key but high-integrity McNerney didn’t produce the Blue Wave Valley Democrats had hoped for, but it did show an increasing voter concern for rising corruption in government. Pombo had been tainted by a close […]