Rohrabacher is a native of California, who obtained his bachelor’s degree from California State University Long Beach, and his master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Southern California. In the 1970s, he worked as a journalist, and then served as a speechwriter and Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan. As a Congressman he is notable for his strong pro-Russia and pro-Putin views, leading to his being dubbed “Putin’s favorite congressman.” The FBI reported that the Kremlin had given Rohrabacher a code name, signifying that he was viewed as a valuable potential asset for Russian intelligence. Rohrabacher had a poor showing in the June 5 primary, garnering less than a third of the vote, and the Russia investigation may have played big in this district. Rohrabacher has stated that he sees Islam as the source of a major terrorist threat to the U.S. saying, "I hope we all work together against a religion that will motivate people to murder children and other threats to us as a civilization.” He has been described as an "aggressive skeptic" of global warming, saying "global warming is a total fraud" and part of a "game plan" by liberals to "create global government". Rohrabacher voted to repeal Obamacare, and voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.