Their races could flip the House. Here’s what California’s candidates are saying about Kavanaugh and Ford
The testimonies of Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have gripped the country and roiled Capitol Hill.
On Friday, after two Republican senators joined Democrats in calling for a delay on a confirmation vote, President Trump ordered a short FBI investigation into Kavanaugh and the sexual assault allegations against him. Then eyes will turn to senators’ votes — decisions that will not only affect the future of the high court but will probably impact voters’ choices on election day.
More than 2,000 miles from Washington, 14 candidates running in seven California races that could flip control of the House are under scrutiny. Here’s what they said — or didn’t say — about the hearings.
45th Congressional District
After two survivors of sexual assault confronted Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) over his support for Kavanaugh — footage that was shared widely Friday morning — Democratic candidate Katie Porter said Kavanaugh should not be confirmed without an FBI investigation. She also pitted Ford’s testimony against the lack of response from her opponent, Republican incumbent Mimi Walters of Laguna Beach.
Both Walters and Porter have advocated for victims of sexual abuse on the campaign trail. During the primary, Porter spoke openly about her experiences as a domestic abuse survivor. And Walters has campaigned to pass a bill establishing rights for survivors of sexual assault in federal criminal cases.
48th Congressional District
Last week, Republican incumbent Dana Rohrabacher ridiculed Ford’s allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers.
“High school? Give me a break,” said the 15-term congressman from Costa Mesa.
His Democratic opponent, Harley Rouda, lambasted the comments.
39th Congressional District
Young Kim did not explicitly mention Kavanaugh. But on the eve of his and Ford’s testimony before the Senate committee, the Republican candidate tweeted her support for reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act — a law brought forward by then-Sen. Joe Biden that was set to expire this weekend.
Her opponent, Gil Cisneros, has previously criticized Kavanaugh and has also called for reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
10th Congressional District
Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) has not commented on Kavanaugh on Twitter.
His Democratic opponent, Josh Harder, has not recently commented on the hearings, but he previously criticized Kavanaugh and has tweeted support for sexual assault survivors.
25th Congressional District
Democratic candidate Katie Hill has spoken openly about her experience with sexual assault and has stated her support for Ford and belief in her testimony.
Her opponent, Rep. Steve Knight (R-Palmdale) has not directly commented on the Kavanaugh hearings on social media. He has previously called for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
49th Congressional District
Republican candidate Diane Harkey has not commented on the hearings.
Democrat Mike Levin, however, has been the most active candidate of the group on Twitter. He has stated and retweeted criticism of the hearing process.
50th Congressional District
Republican incumbent Duncan Hunter of Alpine has not commented one way or another about Kavanaugh on social media.
His Democratic opponent, Ammar Campa-Najjar, has not commented directly, but he previously retweeted Alyssa Milano’s op-ed about why she didn’t report a past sexual assault. The story was published Sept. 21, when thousands shared similar stories after Trump questioned Ford’s reasoning for not coming forward sooner.
Twitter: @cshalby
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