Jeff Denham | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | George Radanovich |
| Succeeded by | Josh Harder |
| Constituency | 19th district (2011–2013) 10th district (2013–2019) |
| Member of theCalifornia Senate from the12th district | |
| In office December 2, 2002 – November 30, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Dick Monteith |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Cannella |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jeffrey John Denham (1967-07-29)July 29, 1967 (age 58) Hawthorne, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Victor Valley College California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Air ForceU.S. Air Force Reserve |
| Years of service | 1984–1988 (active) 1988–2000 (reserve) |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
| Battles/wars | Operation Desert Storm Operation Restore Hope |
| Awards | Meritorious Service Medal |
Jeffrey John Denham (born July 29, 1967) is an American politician,United States Air Force veteran, and businessman. A member of theRepublican Party, he served as theU.S. representative forCalifornia's 10th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. Denham first won election to the U.S. House in 2010, representingCalifornia's 19th congressional district for one term before redistricting led him to run in the 10th district in 2012.
From 2002 to 2010, Denham served in theCalifornia State Senate, representing the12th District, which includesMadera,Merced,Monterey,San Benito, andStanislaus counties. Prior to seeking political office, Denham served on active and reserve status in theUnited States Air Force for 16 years, and served in bothOperation Desert Storm in Iraq andOperation Restore Hope in Somalia.
During his congressional tenure, Denham was active in immigration issues, notably in the effort to draft and pass legislation that would successfully resolve the status of Dreamers.[1][2][3]
Denham was narrowly defeated in his2018 bid for re-election byDemocratJosh Harder[4] and became a lobbyist forK&L Gates.[5]
In 1984, at age 17, Denham enlisted in theUnited States Air Force. He served on active and reserve status for 16 years as a tactical aircraft maintenance specialist,[6] during which he received theMeritorious Service Medal for his service duringOperation Desert Storm (Iraq) andOperation Restore Hope (Somalia).[7][8] Denham received an associate degree fromVictor Valley College in 1989 and a B.A. in political science fromCalifornia Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in 1992.[9] He has worked as a farmer and started a plastics container company to ship produce.[7]
In 2000, Denham ran for theCalifornia State Assembly against City CouncilmanSimon Salinas, a Democrat. A total of $2.5 million was spent in the race. Salinas defeated Denham with 52% of the vote.[10]
Denham ran for the State Senate in 2002 against former Democratic State AssemblymanRusty Areias. The race featured a number of negative political advertisements and was one of the most expensive legislative races in state history, with over $6.3 million spent.[11] Denham's campaign highlighted Areias's financial difficulties, including unpaid taxes and did not focus on Areias's state policy positions.[12] Denham's negative campaign tactics drew widespread criticism, including from fellow Republicans.[13]
The election was on November 5, 2002, but the vote count was close; the lead in the race went back and forth for several days.[14] Denham won by 1,843 votes, 48% to 47%.[15]
In November 2006, Denham won re-election to a second term with 58% of the vote.[16] Denham's opponent,Wiley Nickel, was later elected to Congress fromNorth Carolina in2022.[17]
In 2008, arecall effort was instigated against Denham by DemocratDon Perata after Denham declined to cast a deadlock-breaking vote on the state budget. Supporters of the recall turned in more than 60,000 signatures with the recall scheduled to appear on the ballot on June 3, 2008. In early May, Perata called off the efforts to recall Denham after it showed signs of backfiring, but the election was already on the ballot. Denham easily survived the recall by a 75.4% to 24.6% margin. Denham himself speculated that the recall effort actually helped, rather than hurt, his political career by raising his profile.[18][19]
Denham announced in December 2008 that he would be a candidate forLieutenant Governor of California in the2010 election.[20][21] He ended his campaign soon after GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger, in November 2009, appointed Republican State SenatorAbel Maldonado to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Lieutenant GovernorJohn Garamendi, a Democrat, who was elected to Congress.[22][23]
Denham then campaigned briefly for theState Assembly seat being vacated byTom Berryhill ofModesto[24][25] but in late December 2009 he dropped out of that race to run for Congress.
During his time in the state legislature, Denham focused his efforts on education, agriculture and job creation. He called for a reduction in government waste in Sacramento, better use of state surplus assets, and a crackdown on sexual predators.[26]
Denham's awards include Legislator of the Year by the California State Sheriffs' Association (2004), Outstanding Legislator by the California State Sheriff's Association (2005), Legislator of the Year by the California Small Business Association (2005), Most Progressive Law Enforcement Leader of the Year by A Woman's Place of Merced (2005), andCalifornia Teachers Association Gold Award (2005).[27]
Denham's committee assignments in the California State Senate included:[28]
In December 2009, seven-term U.S. CongressmanGeorge Radanovich announced he would retire for health reasons. He endorsed Denham as his successor inCalifornia's 19th congressional district.[29] In the Republican primary, Denham defeatedFresno mayorJim Patterson, former U.S. CongressmanRichard Pombo, and Fresno City Councilman Larry Westerlund 36%–31%–21%–12%.[30] In the 2010 general election, Denham defeated Democrat Loraine Goodwin with 65% of the vote.[31]
After redistricting, much of the old 19th became the16th District, which was significantly more Democratic than its successor. Meanwhile, much of the northwestern portion of the old 19th (e.g.Turlock,Riverbank,Oakdale, and the rest of northeastern Stanislaus county) was transferred to the10th District. That district had previously been the18th District, represented by retiring five-termDemocratDennis Cardoza.[32] The new 10th included all of Stanislaus County and the southern portion ofSan Joaquin County (includingTracy andManteca). It also included Denham's home in Atwater, which had been just outside the old 19th's boundaries. Members of the House are only required to live in the state they wish to represent.
FormerNASA astronautJosé M. Hernández ran against him as the Democratic candidate.[33] The 10th was considered a swing district in the 2012 election.[34] Denham won with 53% of the vote to Hernández's 47%.
In 2014, Denham ran unopposed in the Republican primary. His Democratic opponent was Michael Eggman.[35] Although the seat was regarded by some as "vulnerable" earlier in the year,[36] theRothenberg Political Report ultimately listed the race as "Republican Favored"[37] and Denham defeated Eggman with 56% of the vote.[38]
Denham ran for re-election in 2016.[39] He finished first in the top-two primary on June 7, 2016, and again faced Eggman in the general election on November 8, 2016.[40] Denham won re-election with 52.4% of the vote to Eggman's 47.6%.[41] More than $11 million was spent on the race, mostly from outside groups.[42]
In May 2017, investorJosh Harder became the third Democrat to announce that he would challenge Denham in 2018. He said he would focus on job creation and economic opportunity. "There's just not a lot of opportunities for entry-level positions," Harder said. "What we need [is] a better, positive vision for what the economic development of the valley can bring."[43]
Challenging Denham for the Republican nomination was veterinarian Ted Howze, who criticized Denham's support for what critics characterized as "amnesty" for illegal immigrants.[44] Denham came in first in the top-two primary, with 37.8% of the vote.[45] Denham was one of ten military veterans to whose campaigns AmbassadorJohn Bolton's PAC gave $10,000 apiece during the 2018 race.[46]
TheModesto Bee wrote on May 12, 2018, that "Jeff Denham is going to be hard to beat." By this point, the original field of Democratic candidates had been cut in half from ten. In addition to Harder, they included Sue Zwahlen, a former emergency room nurse and school board member; Michael Eggman, a former farmer who had challenged Denham in 2014 and 2016; Virginia Madueño, the former mayor ofRiverbank, California; and Michael Barkley.[47] Harder was endorsed by former PresidentBarack Obama.[48] Harder won the Democratic nomination with 16.7% of the primary vote[45] and faced Denham in the general election. Harder defeated Denham in a closely contested race, receiving 51.3% of the vote to Denham's 48.7% in a race that was not called until a week after election day.[49]
In April 2017, Denham hosted atown hall meeting inTurlock, which approximately 1,000 constituents attended. When a constituent asked for him to support the release ofDonald Trump'stax returns, Denham said "I'm not going to ask the previous president that I served under toshow his birth certificate any more than I am going to ask this president to show his taxes."[50]
Denham voted in favor of theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[51] Regarding his vote, Denham described the bill as a "win for the Valley" he represents and he said "everyone will see an increase in their paychecks in 2018." Denham said he believed the bill would grow local agricultural business.[52]
In 2018, Denham made a bid to lead theUnited States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.[53]
Denham was a member of theRepublican Main Street Partnership[54] and theU.S.-Japan Caucus.[55]
As of January 2018, Denham had voted with his party in 90.5% of votes in the115th United States Congress and voted in line with President Trump's position in 98.3% of votes. He ranked #43 out of 433 members of Congress in the number of times he had voted against his party's position.[56][57] In the114th United States Congress, Denham was ranked as the 41st most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives (and the second most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California) in the Bipartisan Index created byThe Lugar Center and theMcCourt School of Public Policy that ranks members of the United States Congress by their degree of bipartisanship (by measuring the frequency each member's bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party and each member's co-sponsorship of bills by members of the opposite party).[58]
Denham was a close ally of then-House Majority LeaderKevin McCarthy.[59]
Vote Smart, a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States, "researched presidential and congressional candidates' public records to determine candidates' likely responses on certain key issues." According to Vote Smart's 2016 analysis, Denham generally supported pro-life legislation, opposed an income tax increase, supported mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders, supported lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth, opposed requiring states to adopt federal education standards, supports building theKeystone Pipeline, supported government funding for the development of renewable energy, opposed the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, opposed gun-control legislation, supported repealing theAffordable Care Act, opposed same-sex marriage, and supported increased American intervention inIraq andSyria beyond air support.[60]
In December 2017, Denham helped the Republican Party pass the Trump tax bill, which he called “a historic milestone” that would simplify the tax code, improve the economy, and reduce families' tax burdens. “Congress has delivered on our promise to lower taxes for the middle class,” he said, calling the bill “a win for the valley and for everyone who will see an increase in their paychecks in 2018.” He celebrated the doubled child tax credit and said the law would make local growers “more globally competitive.”[61]
Appearing on NPR in May 2018, he spoke up for the stricter requirements for food stamps in the new farm bill, which he said would encourage able-bodied people without children to take care of at home to find work.[62]
In September 2014, the Humane Society Legislative Fund endorsed Denham. The HSLF'sWayne Pacelle said Denham was “leading the charge on some of the most important animal protection issues in Washington.” In the 113th Congress, Denham was the lead sponsor of the Pets on Trains Act (H.R. 2066), which requiredAmtrak to allowcompanion animals on some passenger trains. He led the effort in the House Agriculture Committee to defeat the “King amendment,” which would nullify hundreds of state and local laws on food safety, animal welfare, and agriculture. He was a lead sponsor of the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments (H.R. 1731), which would improve the treatment of hundreds of millions of laying hens. He co-sponsored the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act (H.R. 1518) to strengthen the federal law against the use of caustic chemicals to on the hooves and legs of show horses to induce a high-stepping gait. He also co-sponsored the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act (H.R. 366), which made it a federal crime to attend or bring a child to a dogfight or cockfight.[63]
In April 2018, Denham introduced a law that would forbid the consumption of dog or cat meat. “If passed,” reported the Washington Post, “the ban would send a clear signal that the United States condemns the dog and cat meat trades in East Asia.” Denham said that the law would signal “that the U.S. will not tolerate this disturbing practice in our country” and would demonstrate “our unity with other nations that have banned dog and cat meat, and it bolsters existing international efforts to crack down on the practice worldwide.”[64]
Denham had a "D" rating from marijuana legalization groupNational Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) regarding his voting record oncannabis-related matters. He was active in working with law enforcement to halt illegal growing of cannabis. Denham opposed the legalization of recreational marijuana, saying that "legalizing drugs, including marijuana, is a detriment to society and will endanger future generations." He voted for allowing veterans access tomedical marijuana, if legal in their state, per their Veterans Health Administration doctor's recommendation, the second time the Veterans Equal Access Amendment was introduced in 2016.[65]
As of January 2018, he had a 6% lifetime score from the environmental advocacy group theLeague of Conservation Voters.[66][non-primary source needed]
Denham had argued that the national deficit is the biggest issue for the United States, and called it a threat to the nation's freedom.[67]
In July 2012, he criticized an event put on by theGeneral Services Administration, which cost $268,732. He said that he believed that the controversy went even further than the GSA.[68]
Denham voted against raising the debt ceiling in 2013, which led to theUnited States federal government shutdown of 2013. He also voted against the bill that reopened the government and avoided a default.[69]
Denham voted for theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which he praised as "a historic milestone".[70] Denham's vote was criticized by Democratic opponentTJ Cox, who claimed the bill would "cost $1.43 trillion over the next decade".[71]
On April 26, 2017, Denham toldThe Hill that he was not in favor of theAmerican Health Care Act (AHCA).[72] Denham said that he could only support a repeal-bill that kept significant parts of Obamacare intact, such as coverage for pre-existing conditions and expanded Medicaid coverage.[73] However, on May 4, 2017, Denham voted to repeal thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and passAHCA.[74][75] Denham said that he voted for the revised version of AHCA, which allows states to seek a waiver to allow insurers to charge individuals with preexisting conditions higher premiums, because the bill would provide $8 billion over five years to help those with pre-existing conditions.[76][77] He voted for this version of the bill before the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office had estimated its impact; the CBO had estimated that 24 million Americans would lose insurance under the previous version of the bill.[76]
During his re-election campaign, Denham falsely claimed thatThe Washington Post fact-checker had found his opponent's claims about the impact of Obamacare's repeal on preexisting conditions to be false.The Washington Post fact-checker responded, saying that Denham was "twisting an unrelated fact check and [was] misleading voters."[78]
Denham, who served as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, had opposed plans for ahigh-speed train betweenSan Francisco andLos Angeles. On March 6, 2017, theNew York Times quoted him as saying that “no more federal dollars will go to California high-speed rail.” He charged that $600 million of state funds allocated by Proposition 1A in 2008 forCaltrain's electrification was being diverted. “'They are stealing Prop 1A money and using it for something else,” Denham said.[79]
In October 2013, Denham co-sponsored the comprehensive immigration reform bill introduced by House Democrats. In announcing his support for the bill, he said: "We can't afford any more delays. I support an earned path to citizenship to allow those who want to become citizens to demonstrate a commitment to our country, learn English, pay fines and back taxes and pass background checks."[80]
In August 2014, Denham broke ranks with the Republican Party and voted against a bill that would have dismantled theDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.[81]
In the autumn of 2017, Denham unsuccessfully "pleaded with Trump...not to end theDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which provided temporary deportation relief and work permits for hundreds of thousands of people brought to the country illegally as children."[1]
In May 2018, Denham was one of a dozen House Republicans who, defying SpeakerPaul Ryan, forced a vote on immigration in an effort to help the so-called Dreamers.[2] In a May 16 interview withTucker Carlson, Denham said that "the only way we're going to get the border secured is actually working together to pass something off the floor." In order to gain support for the Mexican border wall, he said, Republicans must support action to help Dreamers. "The only way you're going to get the 60 members on a bipartisan border security bill is with this solution that is equally as important that the president of the United States is asking for."[82]
Denham said in June 2018 that he had forged an agreement with more conservative House members that would provide temporary residency visas for young immigrants and that would also fund Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico.[3]
In a June 7, 2018, interview onMSNBC, Denham said, "I want to see a fixed to our broken immigration system" and that "You shouldn't be tearing families apart." He described the Trump Administration's "zero tolerance policy" as "a bad idea."[83]
In June 2018, Denham joined three other local members of Congress in introducing legislation “to cut through red tape to raise the spillway gates atNew Exchequer Dam and improve water supply reliability for Merced County.” The measure “would provide an additional 57,000 acre-feet for irrigation, groundwater replenishment and environmental benefits.”[84]
In May 2016, Denham initially voted against an amendment to a defense appropriations bills by Democratic RepresentativeSean Patrick Maloney which would prohibit government contracts with companies that don't comply with President Obama's executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT workers.[85] The following week, Denham reversed course and voted for Maloney's amendment to uphold President Obama's executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity.[86]
Denham did not make an endorsement in the 2016 presidential race. He said that he planned to support the Republican nominee but did not specifically endorseDonald Trump, and that "Like many Americans from both parties, my first choice for president is not on the ballot in November."[87]
On November 21, 2017, Denham introduced the Supporting Mitigation Activities and Resiliency Targets for Rebuilding Act, also known as the SMART Rebuilding Act. The SMART Rebuilding Act, which proposed cost-savingFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reforms, was included in the U.S. House's subsequent Disaster Recovery Reform Act and supplemental appropriations bill. The disaster aid package, which included $81 billion in additional disaster relief funding in addition to Denham's FEMA reforms, was passed by the House in December 2017 in a bipartisan vote.[88]
Denham and his wife Sonia have two children.[89] She is Hispanic, and Denham has said that he learned Spanish to communicate with her family, including to help his Mexican father-in-law through the process of gaining U.S. citizenship.[90] Denham owns and operates Denham Plastics, a supplier of reusable containers in the agriculture industry.[91] He and his family also farm almonds at their ranch in Merced County.[92]
| Year | Republican | Votes | Pct | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Third party | Party | Votes | Pct | Third party | Party | Votes | Pct | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Jeff Denham | 54,729 | 44% | Simon Salinas | 66,011 | 53% | J. J. Vogel | Reform | 2,891 | 2% | Roger Ver | Libertarian | 2,134 | 2% |
| Year | Republican | Votes | Pct | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Third party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Jeff Denham | 73,877 | 48% | Rusty Areias | 72,034 | 47% | David Eaton | Libertarian | 6,950 | 5% | ||||
| 2006 | Jeff Denham | 90,288 | 58% | Wiley Nickel | 65,130 | 42% |
| Year | Republican | Votes | Pct | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Third party | Party | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Jeff Denham | 128,394 | 65% | Loraine Goodwin | 69,912 | 35% | Les Marsden | Independent | 596 | 0% | |||
| 2012 | Jeff Denham | 110,265 | 53% | José M. Hernández | 98,934 | 47% | |||||||
| 2014 | Jeff Denham | 70,582 | 56% | Michael Eggman | 55,123 | 44% | |||||||
| 2016[93] | Jeff Denham | 110,659 | 52% | Michael Eggman | 100,646 | 48% | |||||||
| 2018 | Jeff Denham | 91,401 | 48.7% | Josh Harder | 96,320 | 51.3% |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 19th congressional district 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 10th congressional district 2013–2019 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
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