Former Rep. Harley Rouda on Monday suspended his attempt to return to the House after redistricting put him in the same district as Rep. Katie Porter, a fellow Democrat.
“While I do believe I would represent my district best, I am also pragmatic. I have no interest in running against a Democratic incumbent who has decided to run in this district,” Rouda said in a statement.
“I have no interest in running in a different district where I’ve never had the honor to represent the vast majority of constituents and who I believe can be best served by someone who knows them, knows their communities, knows their struggles, and knows their aspirations.”
Rouda has established a political action committee he dubbed the Join Together PAC which he said will “support candidates up and down the ballot who are committed to common sense values.”
The Newport Beach Democrat was elected in 2018 to represent the coastal 48th Congressional District, defeating then-Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, who was seeking his 16th term. Rouda lost his bid for re-election in 2020 to then-Orange County Supervisor Michelle Steel, a Republican.
