Why a California Democrat is getting hate mail meant for Republican Josh Hawley
A California Democrat wants voters across the nation to know an important piece of information: He’s not Josh Hawley.
Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, is receiving a lot of calls, emails, letters and tweets from liberals who are confusing him with the Missouri Republican who voted against certifying election results from swing states won by President Joe Biden.
Harder, along with all congressional Democrats, voted to certify those results.
Hawley, by contrast, was the first senator to announce he wouldn’t certify certain states’ election results, a declaration that lent momentum to former President Donald Trump’s effort to retain power after losing to Biden.
“I would like to take this moment to remind Twitter that I am Josh Harder, not (Josh Hawley),” Harder tweeted in January.
The tweets, emails, calls and letters that confused the two Joshes came “about every day” after Jan. 6, according to Harder spokesman Ian Lee.
“Things have slowed down since Senator Hawley has faded from the news, but we’re sure some folks are still confused about who’s who,” Lee said.
Harder sent a fundraising email about the mix up on Thursday, asking supporters to show that they “stand with the correct Josh H.” Harder’s campaign said they liked to keep supporters in the loop about both serious issues and “quirky” stories like this one.
“As you know, Josh Hawley peddled election fraud conspiracies which led to the Capitol insurrection, and has refused to apologize or take any accountability for his actions,” the fundraising email said. “But Democrats are sending their anger to the wrong Josh! Our inboxes have been flooded with notes very upset with Josh Hawley.”
Harder’s staff provided a sampling of emails and tweets that he has received.
“You are an idiot and an insurrectionist,” one email said. “You should be thrown out of the senate. Period.”
Another said “Get out of here U racist hater,” and another simply called him a “fascist.”
Tweets have tagged Harder’s Twitter account alongside that of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who also led efforts in the Senate to vote against certifying election results.
A majority of House Republicans and a handful of Senate Republicans voted to not certify the presidential results in Arizona and Pennsylvania. The votes on Jan. 6 were interrupted by a violent mob that stormed the Capitol and directly resulted in the deaths of five people, including one Capitol Police officer.
Hawley that day was photographed raising his fist in solidarity to a crowd of Trump supporters outside the Capitol shortly before the riot.
Hawley has faced widespread backlash since Jan. 6.
His political mentor, former Missouri Republican Sen. John Danforth, has blamed him for the riot. Donors, such as Kansas City-based Hallmark’s corporate PAC, have asked for refunds. Democratic colleagues have called on him to resign and filed an ethics complaint against him in an effort to potentially expel him.
But the Missouri Republican and potential 2024 presidential contender has been defiant in the face of criticism. He’s sent out a string of fundraising pleas related to his objection — which his campaign says brought in nearly $1 million from small dollar donors in January — and he’s repeatedly gone on Fox News to rail against his critics.
“They want to silence and punish conservatives. They tried to do it with me — although I’m not going to be silenced… It’s unbelievable and we just have to stand up and say no,” Hawley told Sean Hannity during a Thursday night appearance.
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Why a California Democrat is getting hate mail meant for Republican Josh Hawley."
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