Two Central Valley congressional races on the June 2 primary ballot will test how much incumbency, redistricting and national politics are shaping voters in San Joaquin County and neighboring Valley communities.
In California’s 9th Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Josh Harder is seeking another term after holding off former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln in 2024. This year, Harder faces a Republican primary field that includes John McBride, an athletic performance coach and repeat candidate who is trying to position himself as a local alternative to the incumbent.
In the 13th Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Adam Gray is seeking reelection after winning one of the closest House races in the country by fewer than 200 votes. Lincoln, who lost to Harder in CA-09 two years ago, is now running in CA-13 with the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
Under California’s top-two primary system, all candidates appear on the same ballot regardless of party. The two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the November general election, meaning the June primary will help determine not only who moves forward, but what kind of race each district will see in the fall.
The contests are among several Central Valley House races expected to draw attention this year as both parties look to California for competitive seats. But for local voters, the races are also centered on issues that have long shaped Valley politics: affordability, water, agriculture, public safety, infrastructure, health care and the cost of living.
Harder has served in Congress since 2019. He was first elected to represent California’s 10th Congressional District before redistricting placed him in the 9th District, which now includes San Joaquin County and parts of Stanislaus and Contra Costa counties.
His public messaging has often focused on affordability, health care, water and Central Valley economic issues. His congressional office lists him as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, including subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, as well as Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.
Harder said the top issues facing CA-09 voters are costs, health care and government accountability.
“We have to lower costs, fix our health care, and end the rampant corruption we’re seeing from this Administration,” Harder said. “We have to make life in the Valley affordable again, and that starts with ending the chaos in Washington.”
Harder said his campaign is tied to issues he has emphasized during his time in Congress, including health care protections, PG&E rates, opposition to the Delta Tunnel and investment in Valley jobs.
“I’m running to hold politicians accountable when they think they can get away with threatening the health care that ensures parents can take their kids to the doctor and seniors can afford their medication,” Harder said. “I’m also fighting to continue our work on lowering outrageous PG&E rates, stopping the Delta Tunnel from ever being built, and investing in jobs and opportunities for our talented next generation here in the Valley, not hours away.”
The 9th District race follows Harder’s 2024 victory over Lincoln, who challenged him as a Republican after serving as Stockton mayor. Lincoln was elected mayor in 2020 after defeating then-Mayor Michael Tubbs and did not seek reelection as mayor in 2024. He later ran against Harder in CA-09 and lost before entering the CA-13 race after California’s congressional map changed.
This year, Harder is the only Democrat listed in the CA-09 primary. Republicans Khalid Jeffrey Jafri, McBride, Parminder “Happy” Singh and Martin “Vmann” Veprauskas are also on the ballot, according to the California Secretary of State’s candidate list.
McBride, listed by the state as an athletic performance coach, is among the Republicans trying to advance to November. His campaign gives Republican voters another option in a district where the party tried to unseat Harder two years ago.
McBride framed his campaign as a challenge to Harder’s record and said he believes Valley issues are not being adequately addressed in Washington. He pointed to agriculture, gas prices, energy costs, the Port of Stockton and affordability as issues he would emphasize if he advances past the primary.
“There are so many issues facing our Valley that are not being addressed by our current congressman,” McBride said.
McBride also criticized Harder’s focus on Trump, saying he believes California’s high gas prices are driven more by state policy, taxes and regulations than by the president. He said he wants the campaign to focus more heavily on local economic issues, including farming and food costs.
“When your whole motivation to run is Trump bad and not really offering any ideas to make things better for our community,” McBride said, “I would love to at some point hear some solutions from our incumbent.”
Harder, meanwhile, said he is the only candidate in the race willing to challenge career politicians and the status quo.
“We can’t afford a rubberstamp politician,” Harder said. “I’m one of the most independent lawmakers in the country, and I’m not afraid to call out my own party when they’re not doing enough to help our families.”
McBride said his background as a strength and conditioning coach shaped how he approaches leadership. He described coaching as a form of “servant leadership,” saying it requires motivating people, challenging them and building cooperation.
“In Washington, we have way too much self-interest and not enough service interest,” McBride said.
He also pointed to his community involvement in San Joaquin County, including service with local religious and nonprofit organizations, as part of the case he is making to voters. He said he and his wife raised their five children in the area and that he has spent years involved in local service work.
If he advances to November, McBride said he would make the case against Harder by building a team and focusing on issues affecting younger voters, seniors, farmers and families. He pointed to housing affordability, gas prices, groceries, farming costs, water, electricity, food supply, Social Security and privacy concerns.
“I fully acknowledge that I’m an underdog when it comes against Josh Harder,” McBride said. “But I also know that my whole career was in coaching, and I know what it takes for an underdog to win.”
Harder pointed to veterans services, disaster protection, PG&E rates and prescription drug costs as parts of his record he believes are relevant to voters.
“We’ve made so much progress on addressing serious issues in the Valley, like cutting unacceptable wait times for our veterans at our local VA, investing in the flood and wildfire protection we desperately need, and standing up to PG&E’s runaway rate hikes,” Harder said.
He said his campaign message to undecided voters is centered on preserving the Valley as a place to live, work and raise a family.
“My north star is that the Valley has always been an amazing place to work, live, start a business, and raise a family, and we have to protect the promise of our community for the next generation,” Harder said.
While CA-09 centers on Harder’s reelection bid, CA-13 carries a different political history.
Gray, a Democrat, entered Congress after defeating Republican Rep. John Duarte in 2024 in the final U.S. House race called that year. Gray won by fewer than 200 votes. Duarte had won the same seat in 2022 by 564 votes, making the district one of the closest congressional battlegrounds in the country across two election cycles.
Gray previously served in the California State Assembly before running for Congress. In the 2024 campaign, Gray emphasized water, agriculture, infrastructure, renewable energy and education, while Duarte focused on inflation, crime and water supply. Those issues are likely to remain central in CA-13, a district that includes agricultural communities across the Valley.
Gray’s campaign said he is making his case for reelection by focusing on cost of living, affordability, water access and health care.
“Congressman Gray is working with both parties to deliver common sense solutions on issues like cost of living, affordability, water access, and health care,” the campaign said in written responses to Stocktonia.
The campaign pointed to legislation it said Gray has sponsored or supported, including efforts to lower food prices by limiting costly tariffs, support the bipartisan Farm Bill, authorize new water storage projects and expand health care access for veterans and rural communities.
Gray’s campaign also said he has secured more than $16 million for Central Valley projects, including fire station rehabilitation, flood protection, water treatment, roads and infrastructure.
“I’ve always put the Central Valley first,” Gray said in a statement provided by his campaign. “That’s not an empty promise: it’s how I’ve approached every decision I’ve made in Congress. From day one, my focus has been on delivering real results back home.”
Lincoln’s entrance into CA-13 gives the race another Stockton connection. Although CA-13 includes just a small section of Stockton, the district includes parts of San Joaquin County, along with Merced County and portions of Stanislaus, Madera and Fresno counties.
Lincoln is also running with Trump’s endorsement, a national signal in a district expected to be closely watched by both parties. Trump endorsed Lincoln in December 2025, and Lincoln has publicly highlighted the endorsement as part of his campaign.
Gray’s campaign said Lincoln’s embrace of the endorsement shows a contrast between the two candidates.
“Kevin Lincoln is making his choice clear,” a spokesperson for Gray for Congress said. “He’s embracing Donald Trump’s endorsement and Washington Republican money, while asking Central Valley voters to ignore his own record as Stockton Mayor.”
The spokesperson said voters in CA-13 are focused on local issues, not national partisan politics.
“People in CA-13 don’t want more partisan politics imported from Washington. Kevin Lincoln wants this race to be about Donald Trump, Washington endorsements, and partisan politics. Adam Gray thinks it should be about the Valley,” the spokesperson said.
Gray’s campaign also said he has built support from the California Farm Bureau, labor groups and local elected officials from both parties. The campaign framed Gray as an independent voice for the Valley and criticized Lincoln as too closely aligned with national Republican politics.
“Adam will work with anyone, Democrat or Republican, if it means lowering costs, strengthening our farms and small businesses, and making life better for Valley families,” Gray’s campaign said.
Stocktonia reached out to Lincoln’s campaign for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
For voters, the June primary will be an early measure of how those arguments are landing. It will decide which candidates advance to November — and whether the Valley’s congressional races become contests centered mostly on local economic pressures, national partisan identity or some combination of both.