Accessibility is the name of Harder’s game, he says on first day in Congress

A few hours after taking the oath of office on Thursday, and shortly before casting votes aimed at ending the government shutdown, Rep. Josh Harder and his wife, Pam, filmed a Facebook Live event reflecting on his first day in Congress, and he promised such accessibility will be a hallmark of his service for the next two years.

“This is an ongoing commitment,” Harder said in the video, which can be viewed on his Facebook page. “We campaigned on being transparent, on being present and representing the interests of my constituents and listening to everyone in the community. That work continues on.”

The 32-year-old Democrat from Turlock ousted Republican incumbent Jeff Denham, who had served since 2010.

On his second day — Friday — Harder became a cosponsor of legislation meant to “fight the corrupting influence of dark money, strengthen voting rights, and instill stronger codes of ethical conduct in Congress,” according to a release from his office. Harder authored an opinion piece published Friday on The Modesto Bee’s editorial page on H.R. 1, known as For the People Act, a sweeping bill that would reform campaign finance rules and strengthen ethics laws, among other goals.

Harder had accepted no campaign money from corporate PACs but relied heavily on donations from the Bay Area.

Conversation in Thursday’s 8-minute video ranged from recounting the swearing-in ceremony to anticipation of his first votes, with a bit of office decorating in the mix. Pam Harder said they had received keys only that morning to first-floor digs in the Cannon House Office Building, just across Independence Avenue from the Capitol, and publicly asked for suggestions on wall art from District 10.

That includes all of Stanislaus County, as well as Ripon, Escalon, Manteca and Tracy in San Joaquin County.

Pam Harder said she “teared up” at the “symmetry” of watching a record number of women sworn in as House members 100 years after women in the United States gained the right to vote (several decades of suffrage efforts culminated nationally in 1920). Josh Harder said he was struck by the large number of first-time House members who share his story; a former venture capitalist, he had skipped voting for years until deciding to run for Congress.

“It gives me some hope because it means folks serving alongside me are not serving because they wanted to be members of Congress since they were 3 years old,” Harder said. “I think we have people in office for the right reasons, and I’m optimistic for what that means.”

At one point, Harder complained about the inefficiency of a ponderous legislature requiring hours of work leading to a single vote. His grinning wife said, “You going to fix that, Josh?” He also smiled and said, “I’m going to do what I can.”

In a telephone call with The Modesto Bee before the video, Harder explained that keeping Denham’s district office near Salida along Highway 99, instead of moving to another location, would provide continuity for those needing help. The address is 4701 Sisk Road, Suite 202. “We wanted to make sure we’re up and ready for business from Day 1,” he said.

This story was originally published January 4, 2019 at 1:02 PM.