San Joaquin County

Jerry McNerny is from New Mexico and has lived in California since 1990. He is the incumbent, having served in this position since 2007. According to campaign materials, he is running for re-election to continue to be an independent voice for the 9th District. 

Jerry McNerney currently serves in the House of Representatives, where he has written and passed laws that include the better treatment of veterans returning home with traumatic brain injury, as well as improved training for new green jobs and increased investment in infrastructure for electric vehicles. He currently serves on the Committee on Energy and Commerce as well as the Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Prior to his election to Congress, he worked as a renewable energy engineer and founded a company that manufactures wind turbines.

Jerry McNerney has introduced a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would limit funding for candidates and ballot measures from direct donations from individual citizens, restrict campaign contributions, and essentially eliminate Political Action Committees. 

Jerry McNerney is running against William Martinek (R) and Antonio Amador (R). According to recent election results, Democrats can win this seat but it's often a close race. Though we disagree with McNerney’s often punitive stances on immigration, as well as calls for increased funding for law enforcement and surveillance at the border, his position in Congress helps to advance progressive policies on issues such as climate change and makes him the strongest choice for in this race.

Representative Lee is from El Paso, TX, and moved to California in 1960. She is the incumbent, having served in Congress since 2013. According to campaign literature, Rep. Lee is running for re-election to continue her fight for everyone’s equal rights and to be the advocate her district needs in Congress.

In Congress, Rep. Lee has advanced initiatives to address issues of poverty and inequality. She was also one of the leading voices of opposition against the authorization for the use of military force following September 11th. Rep. Lee currently sits on the House Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on the Budget. Prior to Rep. Lee’s election to Congress, she served in the California State Assembly and State Senate, where she authored over 60 pieces of legislation on issues pertaining to public safety, access to affordable and quality education, LGBT rights, environmental protections, and criminal justice reform.

Rep. Lee is running against Nikka Pitterman (R). Rep. Lee is the best progressive choice because of her legislative track record and her continued efforts to fight for equality for all.

According to our analysis, Rep. Lee is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.

Tracie Stafford is a 53 year old resident of Elk Grove, born to a single mother and orphaned at the age of 12 along with her 4 siblings. She is the first in her family to earn a college degree. According to Stafford, she is running to end corporate-dominated politics and to give a voice to the unheard, under-served and disenfranchised.

Stafford is a community leader, an elected assembly district delegate, and was appointed by the governor as Chair of the city of Sacramento’s small business board. Stafford supports legislation that closes the gender and racial wage gap while ensuring that women, the LGBTQ+ community and people of color are provided with equal opportunities in the workplace. She will work closely with labor to ensure that workers are being treated justly and with dignity regarding pay, benefits, and access to promotions.

Stafford’s commitment to justice and equity is fueled by her personal experiences with poverty, discrimination, child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence. She plans to advocate to preserve confidential, unrestricted access to affordable, high quality, culturally sensitive health care services, including the full range of reproductive services, contraception and abortion, without requiring guardian, judicial, parental, or spousal consent or notification.

Stafford brings a strong track record and deep relationships in progressive politics and public service. Among many other roles and affiliations, Stafford has served as President of the Women Democrats of Sacramento County, as Political Action Chair for the Sacramento NAACP, and as a founder of Indivisible Women of California.

Stafford is challenging incumbent Jim Cooper (D), who has consistently opposed progressive priorities by siding with corporate lobbyists and failing his constituents on many issues include the environment and worker protections. Other candidates include Mushtaq Tahirkheli (D), and Eric Rigard (R). Stafford is the strongest choice in a crowded field because of her track record as a progressive champion for the underserved and disenfranchised, and as an advocate for her region’s priorities in the Democratic Party.

Voting for Stafford is an opportunity to elect a legislator who will accurately represent the perspective and priorities of her district in Congress. Courage California strongly endorses Tracie Stafford for State Assembly.
 

Kathy Miller is from Southern California and moved to Stockton in 1997. She has served on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors since 2014. According to campaign materials, she’s running for Assembly District 13 Representative to advocate for the homeless, improve neighborhoods, and balance the state budget.

Miller has proven her commitment to progress through her hands-on experiences in public office. At present, she heads the Homelessness Task Force, as well as the Children and Youth Task Force on the Board of Supervisors for San Joaquin County. These two forces, now known as the San Joaquin Continuum of Care, increased the number and improved the quality of public services offered to adults and children reckoning with poverty and homelessness.

Prior to her appointment to the Board of Supervisors, Miller was a Stockton City Councilmember from 2009 to 2014. She spent four of those years as Vice Mayor, and emerged as a strong voice for fiscal responsibility and an open, transparent, and accountable local government.

Miller is running against Christina Fugazi (D), and Carlos Villapuda (D) in this open seat. Miller is a particularly strong progressive choice because of her extensive experience in public office and strong endorsements from local and statewide organizations.

According to our analysis, Miller is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.
 

Susan Eggman is from Turlock, CA, just south of State Senate District 5, and currently resides in Stockton, CA. She is the incumbent in this race. According to campaign materials, she is running for State Senate to fight for her community’s right to clean water, ensure that veterans receive the care they have earned, and increase access to quality education throughout the Central Valley.

Eggman advocates for her community's needs in the state capitol. As an assembly member, she’s led the project to develop a California State University in Stockton, has challenged delays in establishing the French Camp CA Medical Clinic, and has been an ongoing voice of opposition towards the proposal to develop tunnels through the San Joaquin Delta. Prior to becoming a state legislature, Eggman worked as a social worker focused on addressing issues pertaining to substance abuse, and also served in the Stockton City Council and the United States Army as a combat medic.

Eggman is running against Mani Grewal (D), Jesús Andrade (R), Kathleen Garcia (R), and Jim Ridenor (R). In 2019, as an assembly member, Eggman scored 86 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of a legislator's progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Eggman has consistently shown great courage advocating for the needs of constituents and facing down corporate lobbyists and interest groups that exploit Californians.

According to our analysis, Eggman is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.
 

Rhodesia Ransom is from San Francisco and has lived in Tracy for nearly 20 years. According to campaign materials, she is running for Board of Supervisors because she wants to continue to collaborate with local groups and use her decades of community knowledge to support families and advance public safety.

Ransom is a member of the Tracy City Council, where she works to address the systemic issues in housing, education, and job growth that challenge her community. Ransom has co-founded several organizations and issue-based boards, including Sow A Seed Community Foundation, Tracy Police Activities League, and the Tracy Community Homelessness Task Force. Over the years, she has been involved in initiatives designed to improve economic outcomes in the City of Tracy, including serving 7 years on the Planning Commission, and acting as a Board Member on the San Joaquin Partnership. These efforts have provided Ransom with an understanding of how homelessness, access to education, and limited economic opportunities are interconnected issues that must be addressed comprehensively.

Ransom is running against candidates Veronica Vargas, Mateo Bedolla, and Robert Rickman. Ransom stands out as the progressive choice because of her extensive work in the community, her knowledge of local policy, and her commitment to addressing issues through strategic collaboration.

According to our analysis, Rhodesia Ransom is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.

Michael D. Tubbs is from Stockton, and returned to the district after completing his Master’s degree at Stanford. He is the incumbent, having served in this position since 2016. According to campaign materials he is running for re-election to continue his work to improve the economic foundation, educational outcomes, and public safety standards for Stockton residents.

In the Mayor’s office, Tubbs has worked to raise funding to invest in programming that aims to increase the number of Stockton students matriculating to and completing college. He has established a partnership with Advance Peace to Stockton, a data-forward program that works to reduce and prevent gun violence. Finally, Tubbs used a seed grant to pilot the nation’s first municipal universal basic income program to improve the city’s economic status and reduce poverty. Tubbs is the youngest person in the country to be elected mayor of a city with a population over 100,000, and is the first African American Mayor to serve Stockton. Prior to his election to the Mayor’s Office, Tubbs was elected to serve in the Stockton City Council at age 22. As a Councilman, he worked to create the Office of Violence Prevention, and Chaired the Audit & Legislative Committee, which addressed the city’s bankruptcy.

Tubbs is running against Andrew Lee Johnson, Ralph Lee White, Kevin J. Lincoln II, William Smith, Shoua Lo, Shelly Hollis, and Motecuzoma Sanchez. Tubbs is the best progressive choice because of his demonstrated commitment to working to improve Stockton through education initiatives, violence prevention programs, and economic stimulation.

According to our analysis, Michael D. Tubbs is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.