5th Senate District

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.

Rep. Josh Harder lives in his hometown of Turlock, CA. He is the incumbent, having beat the sitting republican in a tight race in 2018, which helped Democrats to win back control of Congress. According to campaign materials, Harder is running for re-election to protect access to health care, create good-paying jobs, reform our broken immigration system, and to secure and grow his area’s water supply.

In Congress, Rep. Harder has advocated for the needs of the agriculture industry by addressing issues of climate change, and has fought to support California’s farmers. Rep. Harder currently sits on the House Committees on Education and Labor, as well as the Agriculture Committee. Prior to serving in congress, Harder was a business professor at Modesto Junior College. Harder has also passed on his small business knowledge to developing economies through volunteer efforts. While working at Boston Consulting Group, he took a leave of absence to help small farmers in Kenya and Uganda organize for economic cooperation and development.

Rep. Harder is running against Michael “Mike” Barkley (D), Ryan Blevins (D), Bob Elliot (R), Maria Sousa Livengood (R), and Ted Howze (R). According to recent election results, it's difficult for Democrats to win this seat as Rep. Harder did in 2018. His strong progressive track record as well as his recent win in a recently flipped district make him the strongest choice 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.

Jackie Speier was born and raised in San Francisco. She has been a lifelong public servant, having first been elected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in 1980. She won a special primary election for the 14th Congressional District on April 8, 2008 and has run on platforms advocating for gender equity, gun violence prevention, and LGBTQ equality.

Speier began her political career as a congressional staffer for Congressman Leo Ryan. While a congressional staffer for Congressman Leo Ryan, Speier went on a fact finding mission to investigate the Jonestown settlement, where she sustained five gunshot wounds during the massacre. She has co-sponsored and supported numerous pieces of legislation on gun violence prevention in her time in office since.

Speier has long fought for women’s rights as well as LGBTQ equality. She supports adding LGBTQ protections to ENDA, Title IX protections, gender pay equity, the Equal Rights Amendment, the #MeToo movement, and abortion protections. She has opposed discrimination on the basis of religious protection, and Trump’s Transgender Military Service Ban.

In Congress, Speier also helped secure funding for the district’s CalTrain services, and been active on legislation to address climate change. She supports the Green New Deal and policies to develop renewable energies and make them more accessible.

Jackie Speier is being challenged by Cristos Goodrow (D), Ran S. Petel (R), and Eric Taylor (NPP). Based on our analysis, Speier has consistently been a strong progressive voice in Congress and 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.
 

Rebecca Bauer-Kahan was raised in the Bay Area. She is the incumbent, having served in this position since 2018. According to campaign materials she is running for re-election to continue to use her leadership position to advocate for social issues and improve equity in the community.

In the State Assembly, Bauer-Kahan has worked on legislation to reallocate public funding to parks and schools and transportation projects, to protect women’s health and abortion rights, to codify standards for serving food allergens, and to instate protections for California college students. Shortly after her election in 2018, she was selected to serve as Assistant Speaker pro Tempore in the Assembly. She currently serves as Chair of the Select Committee on Women’s Reproductive Health, and sits on an additional four committees, including Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials, Privacy and Consumer Protection, Public Safety, and Banking & Finance.

Prior to her election to the State Assembly, Bauer-Kahan worked as an attorney, primarily on cases related to corporate environmental compliance and intellectual property. Her work involved an investigation of company practices, a detailed understanding of existing regulations, and how to balance compliance with profitability. Additionally, she has taught law at Santa Clara University and Golden Gate University. Bauer-Kahan has also used her professional credentials to benefit her community by growing her office’s pro-bono program to address cases related to civil rights and homelessness, and by partnering with the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) to provide legal services at San Francisco International Airport after the Trump Administration’s travel ban.

Bauer-Kahan is being challenged by Joseph Rubay (R). In 2019, she scored an 81 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislator's progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Bauer-Kahan has consistently shown great courage in advocating for the needs of constituents and facing down corporate lobbyists and interest groups that exploit Californians.

According to our analysis, Rebecca Bauer-Kahan is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.
 

Bill Quirk has lived in the Hayward area since 1978. He is the incumbent, having served in this position since 2013. According to campaign materials, he is running for re-election to build on his experiences combining his understanding of scientific research with public and community service.

In the State Assembly, Quirk has introduced legislation to have every child in California tested for lead poisoning, was part of a group of officials who proposed 10 new gun violence prevention measures in 2018, and has worked to make other environmental improvements around water recycling, and hazardous waste facilities. He currently serves as Chair of the Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials Committee, and as Chair of the Select Committee on California’s Clean Energy Economy. Quirk sits on an additional four committees, including Appropriations, Public Safety, Revenue & Taxation, Utilities & Energy. Prior to serving in the State Assembly, Quirk worked as a climate scientist at NASA before moving over to the Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Quirk participated in the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty negotiations, and was a physics teacher at Columbia, Caltech, and UC Davis. Quirk also has a long history of community service, and was actively involved in the PTA, Hayward Rotary, Hayward Library Commission, and the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency. Quirk’s career in public service began in 2004 when he was elected to the Hayward City Council, where he worked to apply a scientific perspective to issues of local safety, economic revitalization, and transit-oriented housing projects.

Quirk is being challenged by Vipan Singh Bajwa (D), Alexis Villalobos (D), and Son Nguyen (R). In 2020 he scored an 88 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislator's progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Quirk has consistently shown great courage by advocating for the needs of constituents and facing down corporate lobbyists and interest groups that exploit Californians.

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

Marc Berman was raised in Palo Alto. He is the incumbent, having served in this position since 2017. According to campaign materials he is running for re-election because he wants to use his long history of public service to continue to push California forward on election security and higher education accessibility.

In the State Assembly, Berman has authored bills that sought to improve election cybersecurity and campaign finance disclosure, improve the census process for 2020, and ease the food stamp and public housing verification process. Berman has also been deliberate in working to ensure that California students have access to the public university system in the state regardless of their socioeconomic status. He currently serves as the Chair of the Elections & Redistricting Committee, Chair of the Select Committee on Master Plan for Higher Education in California, and Chair of the Select Committee on Census, and is also an acting member of two additional committees. Prior to his election to the Assembly, Berman worked with the Silicon Valley Education Foundation to support efforts to close the achievement gap through STEM education in Silicon Valley. Berman was then an elected member of the Palo Alto City Council where he worked to develop public infrastructure projects, and increase the city’s financial transparency.

Berman is being challenged by Peter Ohtaki (R) and Kennita Watson (L). He scores a lifetime 92 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of a legislators’ progressive voting record. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Berman 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, Marc Berman 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.
 

Elena Condes an LGBTQ+ Latinx attorney who has been in private practice in the Bay Area for over 20 years. Her practice offers criminal defense, work-related crimes, clearing criminal records, and other services. In her campaign materials, she says she will bring together all of her experiences to provide “equal access to justice” for all. 

Condes is currently the treasurer for East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association, which she has been a member of for 18 years. She also served on the board of Women Defenders, a professional organization of women criminal defense attorneys and served on the Executive Committee of Alameda County Court Appointed Attorneys Program (CAAP). 

Condes received the sole endorsement from the East Bay Times, who said Condes “stands out as the best experienced and most familiar with the workings of Alameda County courts. Condes’ practice focuses on courtroom advocacy that’s a key part of the day-to-day operations of the local judicial system.” Condes has been endorsed by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Carol Brosnahan, the judge who is retiring and leaving this seat open. 

Condes received her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona and her law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law. 

Condes is being challenged by Mark Fickes, a partner at Partner, Cannata O’Toole Fickes & Olson, who previously worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission, and Lilla Julia Szelenyi, an administrative law judge for the state workers compensation agency.

Based on our analysis, Elena Condes is the best choice for judge in Alameda County. 

Bob Wieckowski is from the Bay Area and is a longtime resident of Fremont. According to campaign materials, he is running for the Board of Supervisors to use his accumulated experience in city and state government to benefit Alameda residents and address challenges such as income inequality, climate change, and housing affordability. 

Wieckowski is currently the State Senator for the 10th district, where he advocates for progressive policies that provide diverse benefits to Californians. He has had a variety of legislative successes, including authoring a bill to eliminate the barriers to constructing Accessory Dwelling Units, working to advance consumer protections, and championing climate research and a clean energy economy. Wieckowski has also been an advocate for college students, working to increase grant funding for tuition, and has pushed back against abusive lenders. Prior to his Senate election, Wieckowski’s public service included time in the State Assembly, on the Fremont City Council, and a term as Vice Mayor.

Wieckowski is running against Dublin Mayor David Haubert, Fremont Councilmember Vinnie Bacon, and Dublin Vice Mayor Melissa Hernandez. While Melissa Hernandez is a strong challenger, Courage California cannot support her because she cast a decisive vote as Vice Mayor of Dublin to deny a request from a gay City Councilman to raise a rainbow flag over City Hall during Pride month. As State Senator, Wieckowski scores a lifetime 92 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting record. He stands out as the progressive choice because of his track record of working to eliminate barriers that create systemic inequality in housing, education, and the economy. 

According to our analysis, Bob Wieckowski 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.