Harley Rouda
| Harley Rouda | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 10, 1961 Columbus, Ohio |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Kaira Rouda |
| 👶 Children | 4 |
Harley Rouda (born December 10, 1961) is an American politician from the state of California. He is the Democratic Party candidate for California's 48th congressional district in the 2018 elections. Rouda will face Republican incumbent Dana Rohrabacher.
Early life and education[edit]
Rouda was born December 10, 1961, in Columbus, Ohio, [1] the son of Marlese Rouda and the late Harley E. Rouda, Sr.[2] He is the youngest of 4 children. Rouda’s father had started a real estate business in the family basement, and during his childhood, Rouda assisted his self-employed father by sweeping floors and putting together brochures. He and his three older siblings helped with landscaping, construction, office work, and moving furniture.
As his father's real estate business grew, in 1996, Rouda left the law to join the family business. Rouda realized that the Internet could help the business grow. His belief in the Internet as a means to revolutionize the real estate market proved prescient. Rouda’s work provided organic growth and venture capital, and his father’s business expanded to encompass 14 companies. His startup, Real Living Network Service, is now a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.
Rouda received his B.S. from the University of Kentucky. Rouda also obtained a master’s in business administration from Ohio State University, and his law degree from Capital University Law School.
Career[edit]
Rouda clerked as a means of income while he was a student. He passed the Ohio Bar exam, scoring in the top 10% nationwide. Hired by Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, he specialized in business matters with a focus on securities work, business formations, and intellectual property. Rouda contributed to the firm's pro bono efforts for a multitude of nonprofits, including organizations tackling homelessness in Columbus.
Leaving the practice of law to work for his father, he directed the firm in developing technological advances within the industry. Rouda orchestrated the acquisition and roll-up of 14 companies under the name of Real Living, creating the country’s 4th largest residential real estate firm, while simultaneously getting his MBA from Ohio State.
Real Living continued its expansion by leveraging its technologies, and established operations in 16 states. In late 2009, Harley sold Real Living to Brookfield, who owned the GMAC Real Estate network, and took over the leadership of the combined entity.
Rouda is also the CEO of Trident Holdings, Inc., as well as Director of Realstir, GRAYL, and Rocky Brands.
Marriage and children[edit]
Rouda has been married since 1990 to author Kaira Studivant Rouda. They have four children.
Congressional Campaign[edit]
On March 2, 2017, Rouda announced his candidacy for California's 48th congressional district against Dana Rohrabacher. His primary opponent, Hans Keirstead, was endorsed by the Democratic Party of California at the party convention. Rouda received the National Democratic Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee endorsement in May 2018. In the nonpartisan blanket primary election, Rouda secured the second spot over Kierstead on the ballot by 125 votes (from a total of 174,024)[3]
On October 18, the Cook Political Report labeled CA-48 as a toss-up.[4] As of October 20, the website FiveThirtyEight had the district as "Lean Democratic".[5]
On October 25th, Michael Bloomberg announced he would be supporting Harley Rouda's campaign by donating 4 million to his PAC, Independence USA. This makes CA-48 the most expensive house race in the 2018 election cycle.[6]
Political views[edit]
Rouda is considered a political moderate. A registered Republican more than two decades ago,[7] he registered as an Independent in 1997. Rouda registered as a Democrat in 2017, after the 2016 election.[8] His political views on subjects such as climate change, gun safety, and women's rights are more consistent with the Democratic Platform. His "purple" status is seen to be necessary to win the strongly divided CA-48 district.
Environment[edit]
Environmental protection is a central issue of Rouda's campaign. Rouda supports protections against offshore oil drilling in California and the prioritization of green energy over fossil fuels.
Rouda supports making California the clean technology capital of the world. He has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump's handling of the environment.
Rouda has been endorsed by the Sierra Club.
Read Rouda's full statement on the environment here.
Women's Rights[edit]
Rouda is pro-choice. He will vote to repeal the Hyde amendment, a legislative provision preventing the use of federal funds to pay for abortion.
Rouda believes abortion should be safe, legal, and accessible. He is in favor of increased funding to Planned Parenthood.
Rouda has criticized the Trump administration, as well as Dana Rohrabacher, his incumbent opponent, for their backwards agenda regarding women's rights.
Campaign Finance Reform[edit]
Rouda has pledged to not take money from Big Oil, Big Tobacco, Big Pharma, or the Gun Lobby. He believes that the voices of Americans are being crowded out by special interests and corporate Super PACs.
Rouda supports ending Citizens United and has demonstrated his commitment to campaign finance reform by rejecting corporate PAC money in his campaign.
Gun Safety[edit]
Rouda supports common-sense gun reform, including mandatory background checks for gun buyers, the banning of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, and the prohibition of sales to violent felons and the mentally ill.
Education[edit]
Immigration[edit]
Business[edit]
Rouda prefers a balanced economy with a focus on jobs for the future. He supports economic policies that strengthen the middle class, and supports a living wage.
References/Notes and references[edit]
- ↑ "Candidate Conversation - Harley Rouda". Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales. Nathan L. Gonzales. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ↑ "Harley Rouda Obituary". Legacy.com. The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ↑ http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2018-primary/sov/2018-complete-sov.pdf
- ↑ "2018 House Race ratings".
- ↑ "California 48th - 2018 House Forecast". 2018-08-16.
- ↑ https://www.ocregister.com/2018/10/25/election-michael-bloomberg-spends-4m-to-back-harley-rouda-making-ca-48-priciest-house-race-in-u-s/
- ↑ Mai-Duc, Christine. "After winning the No. 2 spot by 125 votes, Rouda has to make up ground to unseat Rohrabacher". http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-rohrabacher-rouda-20180627-story.html. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 12, 2018. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ Medina, Jennifer (2018-09-07). "He's a Former Republican Taking On Dana Rohrabacher. Can He Win?". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
External links[edit]
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