Calif. Democrat: Fervor to Flip House Never Stronger
*By Christian Smith*
Democratic voters' willingness to donate to candidates trying to regain control of Congress shows a fervor rarely seen in midterm races, said Harley Rouda, a California businessman seeking to unseat longtime Republican incumbent Dana Rohrabacher in Orange County.
"I think we are seeing that all across the United States that Democratic supporters and voters are not just going to the polls, but they're opening up their pocketbooks to support candidates ー and the reason they are doing that is because they know this is arguably the most critical election of our lifetimes," Rouda said Monday in an interview on Cheddar.
The campaign for California's 48th district has been Rohrabacher's most expensive race in his 30-year career. As of the latest FEC filings on June 30, Rouda outspent Rohrabacher by almost $700,000 ー Rouda's [$2.2 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H8CA48035/) to Rohrabacher's [$1.5 ](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H8CA42061/)). By comparison, Rohrabacher spent about [$600,000](https://www.fec.gov/data/disbursements/?two_year_transaction_period=2016&cycle=2016&data_type=processed&committee_id=C00224691&min_date=01%2F01%2F2015&max_date=12%2F31%2F2016&line_number=F3-17) in the last election cycle.
A July 17 [Monmouth University Poll](https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/monmouthpoll_ca_071718/) showed the race is a virtual tie, with Rouda leading Rohrabacher by only two points, well within the poll's margin of error.
Though many Democratic candidates in close races are generating enthusiasm among voters by attacking President Trump, Rouda said he's focused more on his opponent's record in the traditionally Republican district than he is on the president.
"Although Trump certainly has low ratings here, Rohrabacher has equally low ratings," Rouda said.
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-democrat-giving-rep-dana-rohrabacher-his-toughest-challenge-in-almost-30-years).
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
Real estate software company RealPage has agreed to stop sharing nonpublic information between landlords as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice.
A legislative package to end the government shutdown appears on track. A handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to advance the bill after what's become a deepening disruption of federal programs and services. But hurdles remain. Senators are hopeful they can pass the package as soon as Monday and send it to the House. What’s in and out of the bipartisan deal has drawn criticism and leaves few senators fully satisfied. The legislation includes funding for SNAP food aid and other programs while ensuring backpay for furloughed federal workers. But it fails to fund expiring health care subsidies Democrats have been fighting for, pushing that debate off for a vote next month.
Sabrina Siddiqui, National Politics Reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins to break down the SNAP funding delays and the human cost of the ongoing shutdown.
