Editor, Ceres Courier,

Jeff Denham has many Democratic opponents. Perhaps too many. Yet none of the numerous contenders will step aside. Each has a reason to stay in.

Michael Eggman is a farmer and beekeeper in Turlock. Virginia Madueno is the former mayor of Riverbank and a business owner in Modesto. Sue Zwahlen is a longtime ER nurse and former Modesto school board member. All people who have raised their families here and have deep ties to the community.

One of the challengers sticks out; the youngest candidate with the most money: Josh Harder.
Harder has no resume in our district because for the past 10 years he has been building a career as a venture capitalist. It is hard to see Josh as a fit for our community if his job for the past decade was making rich people richer by investing in price gouging pharmaceutical companies, for-profit charter schools, and cigarette advertising firms. They build up businesses to suck out their profits like Bessmer, where Josh was Vice president, did to Blue Apron.

Josh recently moved back to California last year for the opportunity to run for Congress. He spent a few months teaching at MJC so he could list his profession as "educator" on the ballot.

I attempted to ask Harder these questions in person. I drove after work to attend fundraiser for Harder last year in San Francisco. Instead of answers, I was shouted down by his Bay Area donors while Josh sat on his hands and silently watched as I was dragged out.

I saw Josh Harder's absolute lack of leadership that day. If he couldn't represent me in front of his bay area donors, he can't represent our district in Congress.

Anthony Castillo,
Turlock

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