*By Christian Smith* With less than two weeks until election day, a California Democrat, Harley Rouda, has gotten a $4.3 million boost from Michael Bloomberg in his bid to take down 30-year incumbent Republican Congressman Rohrabacher. Bloomberg's Independence USA PAC disclosed the spending last week, which went to advertising targeting the Republican. Rouda said Bloomberg's ad campaign will help bring the issue of climate change to the forefront of voters' minds in the coastal Orange County district. "We're thrilled to have Bloomberg's support, and more importantly calling attention to that really important issue of climate change, which my opponent Dana Rohrabacher basically calls junk science," Rouda said Monday in an interview on Cheddar. "It's certainly going to boost voters' awareness of Rohrabacher's atrocious record in addressing climate change, and more importantly the fact that he's been in the pocket of special interest groups like big oil and big gas," he added. The U.S. House race is now dead-even in California's 48th District, went for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Orange County is a key target for the Democratic Party, which used to be a stronghold for the Reagan-era Republican party, but has trended blue in recent years. The race became the most expensive in the country after billionaire Michael Bloomberg's infusion of ad spending. More than $18.2 million has been spent on the race in total. Recent polls have the race as a tie. The latest Monmouth University poll puts Rep. Rohrabacher ahead of Rouda 50 to 48 percent, which is within the margin of error, and a recent New York Times poll has the two at an even 45-45 split with 10 percent of respondents saying they are undecided. With the race a virtual tie just a week from election day, Rouda said his team of volunteers will be key to winning the race. "What's going to get us over the finish line is what got us to where we are now and that is our incredible volunteers," Rouda said. "We have almost 5,000 volunteers now and they're knocking on doors and making phone calls because they want real change." For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/californias-48th-district-becomes-most-expensive-house-race-in-u-s).

Share:
More In Politics
Deal or Default? Biden, GOP Must Decide What's on the Table
Before President Joe Biden and congressional leaders can even try to avert an unprecedented U.S. government default, their initial challenge on Tuesday will be to agree on what exactly they’re talking about as they hold their first substantive meeting in months.
The Day Ahead: Debt Ceiling Talks, Corporate Earnings
Cheddar News checks in on what to look for on The Day Ahead as President Joe Biden meets with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to look to resolve the debt ceiling debate. Earnings are also slated to be reported from companies including Airbnb, AMC Networks, Electronic Arts and Nintendo.
Load More