Harley Rouda was the first Democrat to represent the district, which encompasses southwestern coastal portions of Orange County including the cities of Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.
17 Facts About Harley Rouda
2.
Harley Rouda was defeated for reelection by Orange County Supervisor Michelle Steel in 2020.
3.
On January 11,2023, Harley Rouda announced his candidacy for in the 2024 elections.
4.
However, three months later, Harley Rouda announced he was ending his comeback bid for Congress in the 47th district, citing a medical issue.
5.
Harley Rouda received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Kentucky in 1984, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta social fraternity.
6.
Harley Rouda earned a Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School in 1986 and Master of Business Administration from Ohio State University in 2002.
7.
Harley Rouda later left the firm to join his family business, HER Realtors, and eventually served as CEO of Trident Holdings, the parent company of HER Realtors.
8.
Harley Rouda says the last Republican he voted for was Bob Dole in the 1996 presidential election.
9.
Harley Rouda switched his party affiliation to the Democratic Party after the 2016 election.
10.
Shortly before registering as a Democrat, Harley Rouda donated to the John Kasich 2016 presidential campaign.
11.
On March 2,2017, Harley Rouda announced his candidacy for US Representative from, challenging the incumbent, Dana Rohrabacher, shortly after changing his party registration from no party preference into a Democrat.
12.
Harley Rouda received the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee endorsement in May 2018.
13.
Harley Rouda ran for reelection and faced off against the Republican challenger, Orange County supervisor Michelle Steel, during the general election on November 3,2020.
14.
Immediately after his loss, Harley Rouda announced he would run against Steel again in 2022.
15.
Harley Rouda missed federally mandated deadlines for reporting that his wife traded stocks while he was in office.
16.
Harley Rouda formed a political action committee, Join Together PAC, to support the election of moderate Democrats, such as Katrina Foley of the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
17.
However, on April 11,2023, Harley Rouda announced his withdrawal from the race, citing a traumatic brain injury he received following a fall.