Josh Harder

Joshua Keck Harder (born August 1, 1986) is an American politician and venture capital investor who has served as the U.S. Representative for California's 10th congressional district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Republican incumbent Jeff Denham in the 2018 election.[1] In 2020, he was reelected by a significantly larger margin than in 2018.[2]

Not to be confused with Josh Haeder or Josh Hawley.

Josh Harder
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 10th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byJeff Denham
Personal details
Born
Joshua Keck Harder

(1986-08-01) August 1, 1986
Turlock, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Pamela Sud
​
(m. 2018)​
EducationStanford University (BA)
Harvard University (MBA, MPP)
WebsiteHouse website

Early life and education

Harder was born in Turlock, California;[3][4] he graduated from Modesto High School.[5] 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.[6][7]

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.[8] In 2017, Harder left Bessemer to campaign full-time. He moved back to Turlock[9][10][11] and taught business at Modesto Junior College.[12]

U.S. House of Representatives

2018
Main article: 2018 California's 10th congressional district election

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.[13] 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%.[14][15]

California's 10th district was included on the list of Republican-held seats being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2018.[16] On election night and for days after the election, Denham led in the reported results.[17] On November 9, Harder pulled ahead as absentee ballots were counted.[18] Days later, news outlets projected Harder's victory,[19] and on November 14, Denham conceded.[20]

2020
See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in California § District 10

Harder ran for re-election in 2020, earning many more votes than his nearest opponents. Harder earned over 44% of the vote, much more than Republican opponents Ted Howze (who earned less than 34%) and Bob Elliott (who only earned 13%). Harder and Howze advanced to the general election on November 3, where Harder won with 55.2% of the vote to Howze's 44.8%.[21]

Tenure

Harder has represented California's 10th congressional district since 2019.

Confusion with Josh Hawley

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 last name who objected to certifying Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.[22]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Election history
California's 10th congressional district election, 2018[24]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Denham (incumbent) 45,719 37.5
Democratic Josh Harder 20,742 17.0
Republican Ted D. Howze 17,723 14.6
Democratic Michael Eggman 12,446 10.2
Democratic Virginia Madueño 11,178 9.2
Democratic Sue Zwahlen 9,945 8.2
Democratic Michael J. "Mike" Barkley 2,904 2.4
Democratic Dotty Nygard (withdrawn) 1,100 0.9
Total votes 121,757 100.0
General election
Democratic Josh Harder 115,945 52.3
Republican Jeff Denham (incumbent) 105,955 47.7
Total votes 221,900 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican
California's 10th congressional district election, 2020[25][26]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Josh Harder (incumbent) 69,668 44.1
Republican Ted Howze 53,574 33.9
Republican Bob Elliott 20,481 13.0
Democratic Michael J. "Mike" Barkley 5,561 3.5
Republican Marla Sousa Livengood 5,270 3.3
Democratic Ryan Blevins 3,536 2.2
Total votes 158,090 100.0
General election
Democratic Josh Harder (incumbent) 166,865 55.2
Republican Ted Howze 135,629 44.8
Total votes 302,494 100.0
Democratic hold

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.[27]

References
  1. Michael R. Blood (November 13, 2018). "Democrat Harder ousts California GOP US Rep. Denham". Associated Press. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  2. "California Election Results: 10th Congressional District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  3. 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...
  4. "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.
  5. "Josh Harder — Tracy Press-Patterson Irrigator candidate questionnaire". Golden State Newspapers. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  6. 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.
  7. "About Josh". Josh Harder for Congress. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  8. "Internal Affairs: Central Valley Rep. Jeff Denham gets a new challenger". The Mercury News. May 5, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  9. "Denham calls opponent 'Bay Area Harder' — but he spends time and money at the coast, too". Modesto Bee. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  10. 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.
  11. Palmeri, Christopher (October 9, 2018). "Can a Rural California Republican Survive the Midterms?". Bloomberg News. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  12. Stapley, Garth (November 6, 2018). "CA election results: Denham winning against Harder". The Modesto Bee. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  13. Sarah D. Wire (May 3, 2017). "Central Valley's Jeff Denham gets new 2018 challenger".
  14. "Harder readies to face Denham". Turlock Journal. June 8, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  15. "California Election Results: 10th House District". New York Times. June 11, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  16. Kelly, Meredith (May 22, 2017). "Charging Forward, DCCC Announces Battlefield Expansion" (PDF). DCCC Communications Director. Letter to Interested Parties.
  17. "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.
  18. 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.
  19. "Democrat Harder ousts California GOP US Rep. Denham". AP NEWS. November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  20. Eric Bradner. "Democrats pick up two more House seats as Denham, MacArthur concede". CNN. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  21. "California Results - US Election 2020". BBC News. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  22. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-02-06/california-rep-josh-harder-faces-anger-intended-for-sen-josh-hawley
  23. "Members". New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  24. "2018 California primary election results" (PDF). Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  25. "STATEMENT OF VOTE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION MARCH 3, 2020" (PDF). California Secretary of State Alex Padilla. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  26. "U.S. House of Representatives Results of All Districts". California Secretary of State. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  27. "Pamela Sud, Joshua Harder - The New York Times". The New York Times. August 12, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Jeff Denham		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 10th congressional district
2019–present		 Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Jim Hagedorn		 United States Representatives by seniority
325th		 Succeeded by
Jahana Hayes
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