Harder spins into action in Washington, defends support of Pelosi

Rep. Josh Harder’s first day in office was a whirlwind, including his swearing-in, greeting visitors to his new first-floor office, a vote supporting Nancy Pelosi for House speaker and wrangling over the federal government shutdown.

“We definitely hit the ground running,” Harder said Thursday in a telephone interview during a break in congressional action. Night voting to end the government shutdown, backed by Democrats controlling the House and favored by Harder, was expected after The Modesto Bee’s presstime.

The 32-year-old Democrat from Turlock bested former Rep. Jeff Denham in the November election with more than 53 percent of the vote in District 10, covering Stanislaus County and the south part of San Joaquin County.

Harder was sworn in at noon Eastern time along with all other 400-plus House members. He met separately with Pelosi for a ceremonial photo-op with his left hand on the family Bible, held by his wife, Pam, and backed by his parents and brother.

Harder voted for Pelosi as speaker, drawing immediate scorn from the GOP. The National Republican Congressional Committee issued a release saying Harder and Democrats had “already sold out (voters) to the radical left” by choosing Pelosi, and paid to have text messages sent to targeted voters throughout the United States, including District 10, condemning the choice.

“(The election) didn’t go their way,” Harder said of the GOP relinquishing control of the House. “The reality is we won this campaign because we focused on issues that matter. If they want to talk about something else and continue the same failed strategy that caused them to lose control, more power to ‘em.”

This story was originally published January 3, 2019 at 5:46 PM.