On Thursday, Sept. 7, Josh Harder, one of the candidates for California’s 10th congressional district, came to Stan State to bring the students an opportunity to connect with one of their candidates. This is part of Harder’s “16 town halls in 16 weeks” trying to reach out to the community.
 Harder answered questions from students and community members while also giving his reasons for running. Some important issues on Harder’s radar are healthcare, immigration, and jobs to name a few. 
“I am running because most kids in this district don’t have the same opportunities that I did.”
Focusing on the needs of the valley was one of Harder’s biggest pushes since Harder grew in the Central Valley, down the street from Stanislaus State. He let everyone there know that he is fighting for the community and  is making sure every person has the chance at the American dream. 
“We live in an area where 80% of kids are on a free or reduced lunch and only 16% of adults have a college degree”, Harder said.
With only 61 days left until the election, Harder also touched on the importance of college students voting.
“The only way we create impact in this world is by winning elections.”
Harder wants students to make sure that their voice is heard and to know that every single voice makes a difference.
 “I want to make sure  everyone understands how important, how critical this election is so they go out and vote.”  
Harder also spoke on the importance of coming to a college campus.
“We have the highest percentage of young people of any swing congressional district in California, in CA 10; if young people vote, the outcome not just in the community but in this country would be different.” Continuing on, Harder said, “Young people aren’t going to vote unless we talk to them, we listen to them, and we give them something to vote for. That is what I am trying to do.”  
Immigration policy reform is another issue that Josh Harder is passionate about.
“We are a community based on our immigrants.”, explaining to the group of students and community members there that their representative now, hasn’t done anything to help the Stan State and Modesto Junior College students that could be affected by this ongoing issue.  
When it came time for the students and members of the community to ask their questions to Harder, they didn’t hold back. There were questions on healthcare from students who’s families have been directly affected. There were also questions about immigration and other questions regarding taxes and social justice issues.
After the Town Hall meeting, Harder had time to reflect on the questions asked. 
“It was good to see so many people with honest, heartfelt, and thoughtful questions about the state of our country and the state of our community; and it was very encouraging to see so many people engage in the political process”, Harder said.
Randel Montenegro, (freshman, Communication Studies), felt passionate about healthcare and how it is affecting those with autism, since his brother does have autism. Montenegro asked Harder what he would do to help those in the central valley and was pleased with his answer.
“I think josh harder is doing the right thing when it comes to helping people like my brother. I like the way he is advocating for people with autism especially for those in this district who have it”, Montenegro said. 
Students such as Olivia Hill, (junior, History), attended the event and thought that Harder did well and  drove all his points home well. Hill said  that his vision translates to actually benefitting the people that were in the room. 
“I thought that today went very well, the student engagement was really encouraging”, Hill said.
In his closing moments, Harder went on to talk about what he is trying to achieve, which is being accessible to everyone and running a campaign that is inclusive to everyone.
Harder said that he is not accepting any corporate PAC money and is building his campaign “the right way” by the people.
Josh Harder closed the townhall by urging everyone to get out and vote on November 6. More information on Josh Harder’s platforms can be found by visiting his campaign website.