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).
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.
Arguments at the Supreme Court have concluded for the day as the justices consider President Donald Trump's sweeping unilateral tariffs in a trillion-dollar test of executive power.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year as it seeks to shore up economic growth and hiring even as inflation stays elevated. The move comes amid a fraught time for the central bank, with hiring sluggish and yet inflation stuck above the Fed’s 2% target. Compounding its challenges, the central bank is navigating without much of the economic data it typically relies on from the government. The Fed has signaled it may reduce its key rate again in December but the data drought raises the uncertainty around its next moves. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters that there were “strongly differing views” at the central bank's policy meeting about to proceed going forward.
