Former Rep. Harley Rouda Ends Congressional Race After Suffering Brain Injury

Former Rep. Harley Rouda (D-CA), who lost his congressional seat in 2020 after serving in Congress for one term, said on Tuesday he is ending his current congressional campaign after suffering a brain injury.

“Last month, following an unfortunate fall, I was transported to a nearby hospital. Tests revealed that I suffered a moderate traumatic brain injury with two intra parenchymal hemorrhages,” Rouda said, indicating he has already “started on the path to a full recovery.”

However, while on the path to full recovery, on the advice of medical professionals — doctors, nurses, and medical staff — Rouda stated, “I am ending my campaign for California’s 47th congressional district today.”

“This is not the outcome I wanted. But my family comes first, and to be there for them, I need to focus fully on my recovery in the months ahead,” he added.

The Democrat represented California’s 48th Congressional District for one term, from 2019 to 2021, after defeating former Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in 2018, then losing to Republican Rep. Michelle Steel by less than 8,500 votes.

However, after losing his seat in 2020, he announced he would run in the 2022 cycle but ultimately suspended his campaign after Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) announced she would run in the same district following the state’s redistricting process.

Then, in January, he announced his candidacy for the 48th Congressional District one day after Porter declared for the Senate seat currently held by Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

During his time in Congress, he sat on the House Oversight and Transportation Committees.

He was also accused of violating House ethics rules by not disclosing his and his spouse’s financial information publicly. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a non-partisan ethics watchdog, filed an ethics complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) for failing to report securities trades worth up to $45,000.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.