Representative Jeff Denham

Jeffrey John Denham (born July 29, 1967) is an American politician, United States Air Force veteran, and businessman who served as a Representative from California in the United States Congress from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 from California’s 19th congressional district, serving one term there before representing California’s 10th congressional district from 2013 to 2019 following redistricting. Over four terms in office, Denham participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his Central Valley constituents and engaging prominently in debates over immigration, agriculture, veterans’ affairs, and economic development.

Denham served in the United States Air Force on active and reserve status for 16 years before entering elective politics. During his military career he participated in both Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, experience that later informed his work on veterans’ issues in public office. After leaving active military service, he entered the private sector as a businessman in California’s Central Valley, building a career that helped establish his profile in the region prior to his first campaigns for public office.

Denham’s early political efforts began with a 2000 bid for the California State Assembly, when he ran as a Republican against Democratic Salinas City Councilman Simon Salinas. The race drew significant attention and spending, with a total of approximately $2.5 million expended by both sides. Salinas defeated Denham with 52 percent of the vote, but the campaign helped introduce Denham to voters across the region and set the stage for his subsequent state legislative career. In 2002, Denham was elected to the California State Senate, representing the 12th District, which included Madera, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, and Stanislaus counties. He was reelected in November 2006 to a second term with 58 percent of the vote; his Democratic opponent in that race, Wiley Nickel, was later elected to Congress from North Carolina in 2022.

During his tenure in the California State Senate from 2002 to 2010, Denham served on and chaired several key committees, including those dealing with business, professions and economic development, education, agriculture, veterans affairs, and governmental organization. His profile rose sharply in 2008 when a recall effort was initiated against him by Democratic State Senate leader Don Perata after Denham declined to cast a deadlock-breaking vote on the state budget. Supporters of the recall turned in more than 60,000 signatures, and the recall was scheduled for the June 3, 2008 ballot. Although Perata called off active efforts in early May after the campaign showed signs of backfiring, the election proceeded, and Denham easily survived the recall by a margin of 75.4 percent to 24.6 percent. Denham later speculated that the recall effort actually helped his political career by raising his visibility statewide. In December 2008 he announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of California in the 2010 election, but he ended that campaign after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Republican State Senator Abel Maldonado to fill the vacancy created when Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi resigned to take a seat in Congress. Denham then briefly campaigned for the State Assembly seat being vacated by Tom Berryhill of Modesto, but in late December 2009 he withdrew from that race to run for Congress.

In December 2009, seven-term U.S. Representative George Radanovich announced his retirement from California’s 19th congressional district for health reasons and endorsed Denham as his successor. In the 2010 Republican primary, Denham defeated Fresno mayor Jim Patterson, former U.S. Representative Richard Pombo, and Fresno City Councilman Larry Westerlund, receiving 36 percent of the vote to their 31, 21, and 12 percent, respectively. In the November 2010 general election, he won the seat with 65 percent of the vote against Democrat Loraine Goodwin, entering the 112th Congress on January 3, 2011. After the 2010 census, redistricting significantly altered the political landscape in the Central Valley. Much of the old 19th District became the more Democratic-leaning 16th District, while the northwestern portion of the old 19th—including Turlock, Riverbank, Oakdale, and the rest of northeastern Stanislaus County—was moved into the new 10th District. The new 10th, previously numbered the 18th and represented by retiring Democrat Dennis Cardoza, included all of Stanislaus County and the southern portion of San Joaquin County, including Tracy and Manteca, and encompassed Denham’s home in Atwater.

Running in this newly drawn swing district in 2012, Denham faced former NASA astronaut José M. Hernández, the Democratic nominee. The race was closely watched nationally, but Denham won with 53 percent of the vote to Hernández’s 47 percent, beginning his service as representative for California’s 10th congressional district in the 113th Congress. In 2014 he ran unopposed in the Republican primary and faced Democrat Michael Eggman in the general election. Although some analysts initially regarded the seat as vulnerable, the Rothenberg Political Report ultimately rated the contest “Republican Favored,” and Denham prevailed with 56 percent of the vote. He again sought reelection in 2016, finishing first in California’s top-two primary on June 7 and facing Eggman for a second time in the November 8 general election. Denham won with 52.4 percent of the vote to Eggman’s 47.6 percent, in a race that drew more than $11 million in spending, much of it from outside groups.

During his four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, Denham was active on a range of policy issues, with particular visibility on immigration and the status of young undocumented immigrants known as “Dreamers.” He participated in efforts to draft and advance legislation aimed at providing a permanent resolution for Dreamers’ legal status, a stance that sometimes placed him at odds with more hard-line elements within his party. Representing an agriculturally intensive and demographically diverse district, he also focused on water policy, agriculture, transportation, and veterans’ affairs, reflecting both his committee work and his own military background. His tenure coincided with a period of intense national debate over immigration, health care, and federal spending, and he was regularly involved in the broader Republican conference’s legislative strategy during the 112th through 115th Congresses.

In the 2018 election cycle, Denham sought a fifth term in what had become one of the most competitive House districts in the country. Investor Josh Harder became the third Democrat to announce a challenge in May 2017, emphasizing job creation and economic opportunity in the Central Valley. Denham also faced a Republican primary challenge from veterinarian Ted Howze, who criticized Denham’s support for what critics labeled “amnesty” for undocumented immigrants. Denham finished first in the state’s top-two primary with 37.8 percent of the vote and advanced to the general election against Harder, who emerged from a crowded Democratic field that had at one point included ten candidates. The Democratic contenders included Sue Zwahlen, a former emergency room nurse and school board member; Michael Eggman, Denham’s 2014 and 2016 opponent; Virginia Madueño, former mayor of Riverbank; and Michael Barkley. Harder, endorsed by former President Barack Obama, secured the second spot on the November ballot with 16.7 percent of the primary vote. Local observers, including the Modesto Bee on May 12, 2018, noted that “Jeff Denham is going to be hard to beat,” but the general election proved highly competitive. Harder ultimately defeated Denham in a closely contested race, receiving 51.3 percent of the vote to Denham’s 48.7 percent, in a contest that was not called until a week after Election Day.

After leaving Congress in January 2019, Denham transitioned to work in the private sector as a lobbyist. He joined the law and public policy firm K&L Gates, where he has drawn on his legislative experience, military background, and knowledge of agriculture, infrastructure, and immigration policy to advise clients and engage in federal advocacy.