Jeffrey John Denham (born July 29, 1967) is an American politician, United States Air Force veteran, and businessman.

From 2002 to 2010, Denham served in the California State Senate, representing the 12th District, which includes Madera, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, and Stanislaus counties.

During his congressional tenure, Denham was active in immigration issues, notably in the effort to draft and pass legislation that would successfully resolve the status of Dreamers.

In early May, Perata called off the efforts to recall Denham after it showed signs of backfiring, but the election was already on the ballot.

[22][23] Denham then campaigned briefly for the State Assembly seat being vacated by Tom Berryhill of Modesto[24][25] but in late December 2009 he dropped out of that race to run for Congress.

He called for a reduction in government waste in Sacramento, better use of state surplus assets, and a crackdown on sexual predators.

Meanwhile, much of the northwestern portion of the old 19th (e.g. Turlock, Riverbank, Oakdale, and the rest of northeastern Stanislaus county) was transferred to the 10th District.

[35] Although the seat was regarded by some as "vulnerable" earlier in the year,[36] the Rothenberg Political Report ultimately listed the race as "Republican Favored"[37] and Denham defeated Eggman with 56% of the vote.

[45] Denham was one of ten military veterans to whose campaigns Ambassador John Bolton's PAC gave $10,000 apiece during the 2018 race.

“Congress has delivered on our promise to lower taxes for the middle class,” he said, calling the bill “a win for the valley and for everyone who will see an increase in their paychecks in 2018.” He celebrated the doubled child tax credit and said the law would make local growers “more globally competitive.”[61] Appearing on NPR in May 2018, he spoke up for the stricter requirements for food stamps in the new farm bill, which he said would encourage able-bodied people without children to take care of at home to find work.

1518) to strengthen the federal law against the use of caustic chemicals to on the hooves and legs of show horses to induce a high-stepping gait.

“If passed,” reported the Washington Post, “the ban would send a clear signal that the United States condemns the dog and cat meat trades in East Asia.” Denham said that the law would signal “that the U.S. will not tolerate this disturbing practice in our country” and would demonstrate “our unity with other nations that have banned dog and cat meat, and it bolsters existing international efforts to crack down on the practice worldwide.”[64] Denham had a "D" rating from marijuana legalization group National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) regarding his voting record on cannabis-related matters.

[68] Denham voted against raising the debt ceiling in 2013, which led to the United States federal government shutdown of 2013.

[70] Denham's vote was criticized by Democratic opponent TJ Cox, who claimed the bill would "cost $1.43 trillion over the next decade".

The Washington Post fact-checker responded, saying that Denham was "twisting an unrelated fact check and [was] misleading voters.

"[78] Denham, who served as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, had opposed plans for a high-speed train between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

On March 6, 2017, the New York Times quoted him as saying that “no more federal dollars will go to California high-speed rail.” He charged that $600 million of state funds allocated by Proposition 1A in 2008 for Caltrain's electrification was being diverted.

I support an earned path to citizenship to allow those who want to become citizens to demonstrate a commitment to our country, learn English, pay fines and back taxes and pass background checks.

"[80] In August 2014, Denham broke ranks with the Republican Party and voted against a bill that would have dismantled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

[81] In the autumn of 2017, Denham unsuccessfully "pleaded with Trump...not to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which provided temporary deportation relief and work permits for hundreds of thousands of people brought to the country illegally as children.

"[1] In May 2018, Denham was one of a dozen House Republicans who, defying Speaker Paul Ryan, forced a vote on immigration in an effort to help the so-called Dreamers.

"The only way you're going to get the 60 members on a bipartisan border security bill is with this solution that is equally as important that the president of the United States is asking for.

"[82] Denham said in June 2018 that he had forged an agreement with more conservative House members that would provide temporary residency visas for young immigrants and that would also fund Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico.

[3] In a June 7, 2018, interview on MSNBC, Denham said, "I want to see a fixed to our broken immigration system" and that "You shouldn't be tearing families apart."

"[83] In June 2018, Denham joined three other local members of Congress in introducing legislation “to cut through red tape to raise the spillway gates at New Exchequer Dam and improve water supply reliability for Merced County.” The measure “would provide an additional 57,000 acre-feet for irrigation, groundwater replenishment and environmental benefits.”[84] In May 2016, Denham initially voted against an amendment to a defense appropriations bills by Democratic Representative Sean Patrick Maloney which would prohibit government contracts with companies that don't comply with President Obama's executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT workers.

[85] The following week, Denham reversed course and voted for Maloney's amendment to uphold President Obama's executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

He said that he planned to support the Republican nominee but did not specifically endorse Donald Trump, and that "Like many Americans from both parties, my first choice for president is not on the ballot in November.

[89] She is Hispanic, and Denham has said that he learned Spanish to communicate with her family, including to help his Mexican father-in-law through the process of gaining U.S.