41 Facts About Jeff Denham

Jeffrey John Denham was born on July 29,1967 and is an American politician, United States Air Force veteran, and businessman.

From 2002 to 2010, Jeff Denham served in the California State Senate, representing the 12th District, which includes Madera, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, and Stanislaus counties.

In 1984, at age 17, Jeff Denham enlisted in the United States Air Force.

Jeff Denham served on active and reserve status for 16 years as a tactical aircraft maintenance specialist, during which he received the Meritorious Service Medal for his service during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Restore Hope.

Jeff Denham has worked as a farmer and started a plastics container company to ship produce.

In 2000, Jeff Denham ran for the California State Assembly against City Councilman Simon Salinas, a Democrat.

Jeff Denham ran for the State Senate in 2002 against former Democratic State Assemblyman Rusty Areias.

Jeff Denham's campaign highlighted Areias's financial difficulties, including unpaid taxes and did not focus on Areias's state policy positions.

Jeff Denham himself speculated that the recall effort actually helped, rather than hurt, his political career by raising his profile.

Jeff Denham announced in December 2008 that he would be a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of California in the 2010 election.

Jeff Denham ended his campaign soon after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in November 2009, appointed Republican State Senator Abel Maldonado to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, a Democrat, who was elected to Congress.

Jeff Denham then campaigned briefly for the State Assembly seat being vacated by Tom Berryhill of Modesto but in late December 2009 he dropped out of that race to run for Congress.

Jeff Denham's awards include Legislator of the Year by the California State Sheriffs' Association, Outstanding Legislator by the California State Sheriff's Association, Legislator of the Year by the California Small Business Association, Most Progressive Law Enforcement Leader of the Year by A Woman's Place of Merced, and California Teachers Association Gold Award.

Jeff Denham finished first in the top-two primary on June 7,2016, and again faced Eggman in the general election on November 8,2016.

Jeff Denham said he would focus on job creation and economic opportunity.

Jeff Denham was one of ten military veterans to whose campaigns Ambassador John Bolton's PAC gave $10,000 apiece during the 2018 race.

Jeff Denham voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

In 2018, Jeff Denham made a bid to lead the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Jeff Denham was a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership and the US-Japan Caucus.

Jeff Denham was a close ally of then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Jeff Denham had a "D" rating from marijuana legalization group National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws regarding his voting record on cannabis-related matters.

Jeff Denham was active in working with law enforcement to halt illegal growing of cannabis.

Jeff Denham had argued that the national deficit is the biggest issue for the United States, and called it a threat to the nation's freedom.

Jeff Denham said that he believed that the controversy went even further than the GSA.

Jeff Denham voted against raising the debt ceiling in 2013, which led to the United States federal government shutdown of 2013.

Jeff Denham voted against the bill that reopened the government and avoided a default.

Jeff Denham voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which he praised as "a historic milestone".

Jeff Denham's vote was criticized by Democratic opponent TJ Cox, who claimed the bill would "cost $1.43 trillion over the next decade".

Jeff Denham said that he could only support a repeal-bill that kept significant parts of Obamacare intact, such as coverage for pre-existing conditions and expanded Medicaid coverage.

However, on May 4,2017, Jeff Denham voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and pass AHCA.

Jeff Denham said that he voted for the revised version of AHCA, which allows states to seek a waiver to allow insurers to charge individuals with preexisting conditions higher premiums, because the bill would provide $8 billion over five years to help those with pre-existing conditions.

Jeff Denham voted for this version of the bill before the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office had estimated its impact; the CBO had estimated that 24 million Americans would lose insurance under the previous version of the bill.

Jeff Denham, who served as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, had opposed plans for a high-speed train between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

In October 2013, Jeff Denham co-sponsored the comprehensive immigration reform bill introduced by House Democrats.

In May 2018, Jeff Denham was one of a dozen House Republicans who, defying Speaker Paul Ryan, forced a vote on immigration in an effort to help the so-called Dreamers.

Jeff Denham said in June 2018 that he had forged an agreement with more conservative House members that would provide temporary residency visas for young immigrants and that would fund Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico.

In May 2016, Jeff Denham initially voted against an amendment to a defense appropriations bills by Democratic Representative Sean Patrick Maloney which would prohibit government contracts with companies that don't comply with President Obama's executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT workers.

Jeff Denham did not make an endorsement in the 2016 presidential race.

On November 21,2017, Jeff Denham introduced the Supporting Mitigation Activities and Resiliency Targets for Rebuilding Act, known as the SMART Rebuilding Act.

Jeff Denham is Hispanic, and Denham has said that he learned Spanish to communicate with her family, including to help his Mexican father-in-law through the process of gaining US citizenship.

Jeff Denham owns and operates Jeff Denham Plastics, a supplier of reusable containers in the agriculture industry.