Former California Rep. Harley Rouda announced he would suspend his congressional campaign after Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) announced she would run in the same district following the state’s redistricting process.
“While I do believe I would represent my district best, I am also pragmatic. I have no interest in running against a Democratic incumbent who has decided to run in this district,” Rouda said in his statement, suspending his campaign and thanking his supporters. “I have no interest in running in a different district where I’ve never had the honor to represent the vast majority of constituents.”
His decision not to run spares him from going against Porter.
Porter would have had an advantage over Rouda. Besides being in Congress an extra two years, she reportedly has over $14.5 million cash on hand. In comparison, Rouda only has roughly $600,000.
While it has been the great honor of my life to serve Orange County's Coastal congressional district, I am officially suspending my campaign for Congress.
For a full statement, please visit: https://t.co/UL6aPzDiWp pic.twitter.com/dqrnnjlTE9
— Harley Rouda (@HarleyRouda) January 3, 2022
Breitbart News reported, after the redistricting maps were finalized, California incumbent congressional members in both parties started to decide which seat they intended to run for in the midterms.
Rouda planned to reclaim the seat he once had before suffering a significant loss against Republican Rep. Michelle Steel (CA). However, after the newly drawn redistricting lines were finalized last month, Porter announced her intentions to run for California’s Forty-seventh Congressional District, the same one Rouda was planning on running in.
While Porter plans on running in the 47th congressional district, she does not live there. But district residency is not a requirement for House members, though it is considered politically favorable.
A spokesperson for Porter, Jordan Wong, told the Hill that Porter would run in the district since her children go to school there, noting that Porter has not represented the majority of voters in the district in the past.
Steel announced last month that she would run in the forty-fifth congressional district, which encompasses portions of Steel’s current district. The congresswoman has raised over $2.1 million in the first three-quarters of the election cycle.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter.
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