Josh Harder

Josh has a jobs-first vision of turning our Valley into a thriving economic center.  He knows that right now too many people are stuck in traffic driving to good-paying jobs hours from home. And too many young people are leaving the Valley because they don’t believe we have enough opportunities. That’s why he’s working to bring high paying jobs in fields like ag-tech, IT, and clean energy home to our community, and why he’s fighting for trade deals that put our products and workers at the center, as opposed to being ripped off by foreign competitors.

Josh is a proud product of Valley public schools and is incredibly grateful for the great education he received. Like so many parents in our community, Josh is deeply concerned about what the pandemic has done to our kids. That’s why he spoke out early and often to get kids back in classrooms once it was safe and he’s working hard to direct more funding for our kids’ mental health. Josh is also a strong proponent of trade and skills education so every kid can graduate with a career ahead of them whether they plan on going to college or not.

Josh believes climate change is an existential threat to our way of life. Catastrophic wildfires. Historic droughts. Polluted air and water. That’s why Josh introduced the FARM Act, a landmark climate change bill that supports Valley farmers in the fight against climate change. The bill is one of the only bills in Congress backed by both the leading environmental and agricultural groups. 

Josh knows the price of everything from gas to rent to groceries is way too high right now and our families can’t afford it. Josh is leading the fight to cut the cost of prescription drugs like insulin, repeal the gas taxes in both Washington and Sacramento, and get housing costs under control.

Health care is personal for Josh. His brother was born prematurely and the hospital left his family with a hundred page medical bill. Josh knows the health care system is broken. It’s too hard to find care and too expensive to get the care you need. At the same time, Insurance executives are getting rich while our families have to choose between prescriptions and putting gas in the tank. Josh supports measures to get costs down including a $35 per month cap on insulin. He’s also working to bring more doctors to the Valley so people can get care more quickly and closer to home.

Politicians have let the homelessness crisis spiral out of control. Josh knows it is an emergency and he supports urgent programs to get people off the streets and into support services. Josh’s landmark homelessness plan includes tackling the root causes of homelessness by investing in mental health and substance abuse services and providing job training to get people back on their feet.

Josh knows our country draws its strength from our diversity. Here in the Valley over 10,000 Dreamers are stuck in the shadows. Josh is a proud co-sponsor of the DREAM Act and believes they must have a pathway to citizenship. He also believes we can’t just stop there – Josh is a vocal advocate for real, comprehensive immigration reform to give immigrants and their families the protections they need to participate fully in our community. Josh also knows strong border security and enhanced technology are vital for protecting our country from drug smugglers and human traffickers. He believes both border security and immigration reform are important pieces to our country’s success.

Josh is incredibly concerned with rising crime rates in our community. Like every parent, he wants to walk around with his daughter at night knowing they’re safe in their neighborhood. Josh is proud to stand with our law enforcement officers and give them the tools they need to keep us safe. This year he brought home millions in federal dollars to fund a special task force to fight methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking in the Valley and hire new police officers, buy new police cars, and stand up state of the art public safety equipment. Because of that work, he has been endorsed by the largest law enforcement organization in the state.

Both of Josh’s grandfathers and one of his great uncles served in uniform. They defused bombs on the beaches of Normandy and fought in the South Pacific to defend our freedom. Josh understands the sacrifices our military men and women make and he knows our veterans don’t always get the benefits they’ve earned when they return home. One of Josh’s proudest moments was when his bill providing health care to30,000 Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange was signed into law. Josh won’t stop fighting until every single one of our veterans have the benefits they’ve earned.

Water has been a critical issue for our community since Josh’s great great grandfather began farming in Manteca more than 150 years ago. Josh knows water is the lifeblood of the Valley. That’s why he’s fighting to stop the Delta Tunnel water grab that would ship our Valley’s water to Los Angeles, work alongside Republicans and Democrats to build new water storage projects, and protect the Delta. Farmers and ranchers across the Valley support Josh because he’s delivered on his word to protect and preserve our water.

“The Delta is the lifeblood for the valley and everything we do. It’s our economy’s livelihood. For too long, politicians in Sacramento and Washington have haggled over our water crisis instead of working to solve it. Unlike them, I’ll always protect our water and stand tall against anyone trying to ship it away.”