“Folks in the Central Valley elected Josh Harder because they want a Representative who will put their community first and deliver results. That’s what Josh has done and the contrast between him and Ted Howze could not be more clear. While Ted Howze has run a campaign based on empty and hateful rhetoric, Josh has worked to bring down the cost of health care, protect Californians living with pre-existing conditions, and fix our broken immigration system.” – DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos
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To: Interested Parties
From: Andy Orellana, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: March 4, 2020
Subject: The Case Against Ted Howze
Republican candidate Ted Howze is making his second run for California’s 10th District, but this time with the backing of the Washington GOP establishment.
Last cycle, GOP voters rejected Howze in the primary as a result of a campaign that bet on the policy positions of the extreme right on immigration and railing then-incumbent Jeff Denham for working in a in a bipartisan manner to address the issue of protecting America’s DREAMers.
Seems like odd positioning in a district where over 20 percent of residents are foreign-born.
Beyond that, voters in California’s 10th district don’t know if they can trust Howze given he’s been caught twice deceiving the voters by inflating his record and his residency. It has yet to be confimed whether he truly lives in California’s 10th District and not a gated golf course community in California’s 9th District.
What is clear is that Howze is looking to advance his own personal brand on the backs of the working families of California’s 10th Congressional district. If past is prologue, he is looking to get to Washington to serve as a yes-man for an Administration whose policies are dangerous for this district. Howze’s empty rhetoric, destructive policy promises and his inability to come clean with the voters on some of the basics of his Congressional bid show what kind of representation he would provide the Central Valley.
In a district that rejected Trump by 3 points and Denham by 5 points in 2018, the voters of CA-10 have made it clear they have no patience for those that don’t tell it to them straight and get to work.
Meanwhile, Congressman Josh Harder has done exactly that in his first 16 months in Congress – bringing people together to introduce his first major piece of bipartisan water legislation, assisting local veterans in ensuring they receive their benefits, holding over 17 town halls and spearheading the issue of addressing the invasive species of swamp rats that are plaguing farmer’s canals and waterways – and Washington. Harder has deep roots in the Central Valley and has shown that he understands the issues that matter for the voters of CA-10. With a sizable record of delivering for the Central Valley in just his first term, Rep. Harder is well positioned to contrast his own record of results with Howze’s extreme rhetoric and complete inability to be honest while being out of step with the district on the issues that matter.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“Harder’s response: “Judge me by my record.” Let’s set aside heated rhetoric and do just that — judge Harder, a Turlock Democrat, by what he’s done […] It’s tempting to say that’s an impressive start for a rookie with no previous experience in elective office. The truth is, it would be impressive for any seasoned representative.” [Modesto Bee, 2/02/20]
Headline: Our View: 100 Days In, Harder Finds Ways To Stand Out. [Modesto Bee, 2/18/20]
Of the 98 pieces of legislation [Harder] has had a part in, 75 percent have bipartisan support. That’s the highest percentage of across-the-aisle reaching among all 97 freshman legislators – 88 House representatives, like Harder, and nine senators – in Congress. [Modesto Bee, 2/18/20]
Headline: ‘I Don’t Have Democratic Or Republican Cows’: Ag Secretary, Congressmen Address Valley Growers. [Visalia Times Delta, 6/28/19]
Headline: Harder Water Bill A Bipartisan Effort. [Turlock Journal, 4/26/19]
Headline: Swamp Rats Have Invaded California. A Central Valley Democrat Is Declaring War. [LA Times, 8/07/19]
Headline: GOP Candidate In District 10 Attacked For ‘Extreme’ Stance On Immigration. [Modesto Bee, 7/17/19]
Headline: GOP Candidate Says He Lives In Turlock. Opponent And Some Neighbors Say Something Else. [Modesto Bee, 2/19/20]
TED HOWZE: LOOSE WITH THE TRUTH AND NOT IN STEP ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TO THE CENTRAL VALLEY
Extreme Rhetoric Is Out of Touch with the Central Valley
In a district where over 20 percent of constituents are foreign born and has nearly a 30 percent Hispanic voting population, Ted Howze ran just 13 months ago as an extreme right-winger who railed against bipartisan solutions to protecting America’s DREAMers and comprehensive immigration reform.
CA-10 is home to 10,000 DREAMers who contribute nearly $255 million to the Central Valley’s economy every year. The DACA program has allowed thousands of DREAMers – hardworking young men and women to attend college, contribute to the Central Valley’s economy and serve as vital parts of the community. Instead, Ted Howze has said DREAMers who do not come out of the shadows should be deported and were “likely criminals.”
But Howze’s hateful rhetoric has not ended as he’s campaigned in 2020. Howze believes that the Federal Courts should begin to investigate ending birthright citizenship as enumerated under the Constitution. Howze’s extreme record and out of step rhetoric on a critical issue to a district with such a diverse electorate, who have a unique perspective on immigration, shows how deeply out of step Howze is with the voters of the Central Valley.
In stark contrast, Rep. Josh Harder has introduced bipartisan legislation to support making sure DREAMers have a pathway to citizenship. Rep. Harder has not forgotten what makes the Central Valley so unique, and the importance of the diverse immigrant community to California’s 10th district.
Extreme Priorities Hurting Seniors and Rhetoric Attacking Women’s Health Care
Howze also showed a stunning disregard for the wellbeing of his would-be constituents. Howze has campaigned on revising Social Security, calling for raising the age for Social Security recipients to 70 years old. While 120,224 people receive Social Security benefits in CA-10, Howze’s proposal would “inflict serious harm on roughly one-quarter of Social Security beneficiaries.”
Howze’s callous rhetoric and approach to politics continues with Howze politicizing and demeaning the rights of women’s health care and arguing that Planned Parenthood killed more children than firearms. In a district that supported Clinton by 3 points in 2016, the issues of women’s health care rights and protecting seniors from being shortchanged are deeply in line with the efforts of Democrats going into 2020 in this purple district.
Loose with the Truth
Beyond his out of step and extreme views, Howze has shown a complete inability to be truthful. Being caught twice this year in a lie for deceiving the voters and inflating his record on helping a local veteran in need and not coming clean on whether he truly lives in California’s 10th District as opposed to a gated golf course community in California’s 9th District.
Howze’s empty rhetoric and his inability to be straight with the voters on some of the basics of his Congressional bid show what kind of representation he would provide the Central Valley.
PATH TO VICTORY
California’s 10th Congressional District is a suburban and rural district with a sizable Latino population (28%). In the heart of California’s Central Valley, agriculture employs a huge swath of the district’s residents, where water, healthcare access and affordability remain key voting concerns. The district voted for Hillary Clinton by 3 points in 2016 and Harder by 5 points.
As the Modesto Bee reported when endorsing Harder’s bid for reelection – they judged him on his record in his first 13 months in office, citing: Harder hosting 18 town halls, introducing over 30 bills covering issues ranging from mental health and education to jobs and swamp rats and securing federal money for Valley water projects. With the Modesto Bee going on to say, “it’s tempting to say that’s an impressive start for a rookie with no previous experience in elective office. The truth is, it would be impressive for any seasoned representative.”
It is clear in this purple working-class district, Harder’s doing the work to root himself in the district on the issues that matter to the Central Valley and going about them in a bipartisan manner. This coupled with his strong fundraising puts Harder in a strong position for reelection. Meanwhile, Ted Howze has posted extremely weak fundraising numbers and espoused hard right-wing positions on issues that are critical to voters in the Central Valley. Howze’s misaligned agenda will not resonate with this diverse and working-class Central Valley district.
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