SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, Calif. — July 21 Update:
Republican Brett Dood has dropped out of the race to represent California's Ninth District in the U.S. House of Representatives. In a statement, Dood endorsed Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln, a fellow Republican.
"From day one, our campaign’s purpose was to 'defend what matters most,'" the statement said. "Our campaign was never about just winning a congressional seat; it was about transforming our society, uplifting the lives of every citizen, and creating a more prosperous future where our children, values, and nation are protected from a radical far-left agenda."
Incumbent Josh Harder and Kevin Lincoln are the only other candidates registered for the race as of July 21, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Original Story:
On Tuesday, Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln announced he is challenging incumbent Rep. Josh Harder for California’s Ninth Congressional District seat.
Lincoln is the third candidate to throw his hat in the ring. In addition to Harder – a Democrat - and Lincoln – a Republican, Brett Dood - a Republican and pastor from Ripon – announced his candidacy. As of Tuesday, only Dood and Harder were listed as having officially filed with the FEC.
They are competing for votes in California’s Ninth Congressional District. Redrawn due to 2020 Census results, the district covers the majority of San Joaquin County-- including Stockton, Tracy and Manteca-- plus parts of Contra Costa and Stanislaus counties.
"As mayor, we're not partisan. Washington could take note of that,” said Kevin Lincoln, in an interview with ABC10 on the day of his announcement.
Elected Stockton Mayor in 2020, Lincoln says he's ready to represent the Central Valley in Congress.
"For me, this is a call to service. It's no different from what decisions that I've made over my life to this point, whether it was signing up to volunteer to serve our country honorably in the United States Marine Corps, serving our community through a nonprofit organization - a local church, and stepping up in 2020 to serve our city as the mayor of Stockton,” Lincoln said.
Incumbent Josh Harder was in an Appropriations Committee Legislative Markup session all day Tuesday and wasn't available for an interview. However, a spokesperson from his campaign told ABC10, “Kevin Lincoln has failed the city of Stockton, plain and simple. He diverted money away from police and now the Stockton PD is short over 100 cops. Crime and homelessness have soared on his watch. [Republican House Speaker] Kevin McCarthy's grip on power is clearly hanging by a thread and this proves he's getting more desperate by the day."
In response, Lincoln said, “We've been able to reduce homelessness in the city of Stockton by 3%,” a figure backed by the San Joaquin Point-in-Time Count report for 2022.
“By the way, all national departments are experiencing these police shortages,” Lincoln said. “As a [city] council, we voted unanimously to support our public safety. We increased their wages over three years by 18%. We've authorized a strategic strategy for their recruiting efforts...that's the type of leadership that this valley deserves."
Voters first elected Harder to Congress in 2018. He was representing the state’s 10th Congressional District at the time. He won re-election in 2020. Then, following redistricting, he won the Ninth Congressional District in 2022, defeating Republican opponents every two years.
The California Secretary of State’s Office shows that among registered voters in the Ninth District, 43.33% are Democrats and 28.35% are Republicans.
ABC10 asked Lincoln how he plans on appealing to moderate voters.
“This is America, and everybody deserves to be treated equally, with respect, with dignity. That is who I am as a leader, that's who I will always be, whether we share the same ideology or not,” Lincoln said. “We have different values, different belief systems, and that's OK. We could talk about those differences. We may not always agree, but we could respect one another and treat each other with dignity, respect and love.”
Over the course of two days, ABC10 reached out to the campaign of the third candidate - Republican Brett Dood - requesting an interview or statement and did not hear back.
With California's top-two primary system, the top two vote-getters on Primary Day – March 5, 2024 – will move on to the General Election in November 2024.
Meanwhile, U.S. House Speaker and California Republican Kevin McCarthy is expected to attend a fundraiser for Kevin Lincoln's Congressional Campaign on Thursday.
As for the role of Stockton Mayor, Lincoln’s current term ends after 2024. If elected to Congress, he could go virtually seamlessly from Mayor to Representative. He is one of three people who have officially filed to run for Stockton Mayor in 2024, along with Daniel Wright and Ernesto Gonzalez.
Additionally, San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti tells ABC10 he has been asked to seriously consider running for mayor, saying he and Lincoln support one another.
Patti challenged Harder in the 2022 Congressional race. He lost by 9.6%. Harder won with 54.8% of the vote and Patti received 45.2%.
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