Huntington Beach, CA – Last week, Congressman Harley Rouda announced his endorsement of billionaire Mike Bloomberg for President in the crowded 2020 Democrat field. The announcement comes amid speculation that Rouda might back former Vice President Joe Biden after news broke Rouda was on the host committee for a high dollar fundraiser for the candidate in Orange County.
In 2018, both Joe Biden and Mike Bloomberg helped Harley Rouda’s campaign. Seemingly, Bloomberg’s $4.4 million-dollar investment in CA-48 helped him nab the endorsement of the Congressman. Rouda has campaigned as a “special interest fighter” and has ridiculed politicians who succumb to the interests of their campaign contributors. On his campaign website, Rouda claims, “Too many politicians only care about themselves and their special interest campaign contributors.”
“Harley Rouda says he’ll fight special interests but then turns around to endorse his biggest financial supporter in the Democratic bid for President. Rouda deceptively touts his bipartisan work. In reality, he has voted with socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 93% of the time,” said Sam Oh, general consultant to Michelle Steel. “Voters in this district are seeing that Rouda can’t be trusted, and now they’re looking for new leadership that they can believe in.”
Rouda’s alignment with Bloomberg also puts him behind a candidate who has consistently supported higher taxes and overbearing government regulations, similar to the California policies that are causing residents to flee the state.
“Harley Rouda’s hypocrisy is embarrassing, and voters are well-aware of his failed promises. He ran as a moderate who would fight special interests and lower our taxes. Instead, he has tied himself to his largest donor-turned-presidential candidate and someone who has spent decades raising taxes and drowning Americans in government regulations,” said Will Stokes, Campaign Manager to Michelle Steel.