It took weeks, but national Democrats finally got the candidate they wanted to face Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA).
Democrat Hans Keirstead conceded to opponent Harley Rouda on Sunday night, shortly after the last of the Orange County district’s votes were counted, leaving Rouda with a 126-vote lead.
“After weeks of hard work counting every ballot, I congratulate Harley Rouda on advancing to the general election,” Keirstead, a scientist, said in a Facebook post on Sunday. “I know the Rouda campaign values the importance of science and facts in public policy, and they will give voice to that message. I pledge my support and will work in unison with Harley Rouda to make sure Democrats and science prevail in November.”
Rouda thanked Keirstead with a tweet.
I just got off the phone with @drhanskeirstead. We congratulated each other on a hard fought primary and he pledged his full support to our campaign to #flipthe48th and defeat @RepRohrabacher. #ThankYouHans
— Harley Rouda (@HarleyRouda) June 25, 2018
That newfound comity stands in stark contrast to the pair’s close and sometimes nasty primary fight, which Democrats had worried could lead to Republican Scott Baugh beating both of them in the all-party primary to face Rohrabacher in the fall. That nearly happened, but major investments by national Democrats to take down Baugh helped push him into 4th place, just 2,500 votes behind Rouda.
The race was one of a handful where Democrats were worried they might fail to get a candidate through because of California’s unusual top-two primary system. But a concerted effort by national Democrats kept that from happening.
Keirstead got the state Democratic Party’s endorsement early on and was an early candidate touted by national Democrats. But some #metoo accusations led local groups like Indivisible to abandon him in favor of Rouda, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee followed suit.
National Democrats believe Rouda’s nomination gives them a strong chance at beating Rohrabacher in the fall in a traditionally Republican coastal Orange County seat that has trended their way in recent years, especially given Rohrabacher’s baggage as a Russia apologist and other idiosyncratic views.
The lengthy vote count also illustrates a more nausea-inducing fact for many political observers: If the battle for the House is decided by just a handful of seats, California’s snail’s-pace vote counting could leave the fate of the House undecided for weeks after the election. The state has more than a half-dozen competitive races, and as this primary and races from earlier years prove, the closer contests often take weeks to sort through.
lol “metoo accusations” is a gr8 and not at all disingenuous way to describe punching a woman in the face
I know slow vote counts are irritating, but not sure it rises to being a major concern. It’s not like representatives, with the exception of special elections, are seated the day after the election.
I don’t care if close races in California take weeks this autumn, as long as the Democrat ultimately comes out on top.
You know the Russians are going to do all they can to protect their biggest supporter/stooge in the House.
Of course, even if Rohrabacher loses, they’ll still have their stooge in the White House.
Great! Now vote that Russian Rohrabacher out!
I am still not in love with National Democrats sticking their noses into primaries, but alas they seem to be intent on doing so.