Steel Surpasses Incumbent’s Fundraising for Second Straight Quarter
Huntington Beach, CA – For the second straight quarter, Republican challenger Michelle Steel has outraised her Democrat opponent, Harley Rouda. Steel raised $527,455 in the last quarter of the year as opposed to Rouda’s $465,030. In just 8 months, Steel has raised $1.67 million total and ended 2019 with $1.37 million cash-on-hand.
The race for California’s 48th district is a top target for Republicans to win back the House. POLITICO has consistently rated the race as a “toss-up” between Steel and Rouda. Since launching her campaign, Steel has been named to the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Young Guns program, which supports candidates who are building strong campaigns.
“From day one, Michelle Steel has outworked Harley Rouda in every way. She has a proven record of fighting for Orange County families and her message strongly resonates with voters,” stated Sam Oh, general consultant to the campaign. “Meanwhile, Harley Rouda has flip-flopped on major issues, repeatedly shown he is out-of-touch with this district, and went from ‘special interest fighter’ to endorsing his top donor, Mike Bloomberg, for President. Rouda will soon be out of office.”
Steel, the Chairwoman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, currently represents the county’s 2nd supervisorial district, which overlaps 66% of California’s 48th congressional district, which encompasses all or portions of Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, and Westminster.