Democratic Rep. Josh Harder won reelection Tuesday to California’s 9th Congressional District, defeating Republican challenger John McBride in a race shaped by rising living costs, competing priorities for the Central Valley and a newly redrawn congressional map.
The Associated Press called the race on Tuesday night for Harder, who received 62,725 votes, or 68%, compared to McBride’s 29,487 votes, or 32%, with approximately 43% of the expected vote counted. The results remained unofficial as election officials continued processing ballots; an updated tally just after midnight on Wednesday from the AP, with 51% of votes counted, showed Harder’s lead expanding: the incumbent’s total went up to 72,787 (66.5%) against McBride’s 36,645 (33.5%).
The victory gives Harder, who has served in Congress since 2019, another term representing much of San Joaquin County. It also marks his first general election under congressional boundaries California voters approved last year, making the district more favorable to Democrats.
In an election-night interview with Stocktonia, Harder characterized the results as a reflection of growing dissatisfaction with the direction of the country, particularly over affordability, health care and government accountability.
“The country’s not on the right track. Costs are too high. The health care system’s broken,” Harder said.
He said the concerns he has heard from residents across Stockton and San Joaquin County appeared to resonate with voters elsewhere in the country, where Democrats were competing for greater control of Congress.
Asked whether he had worried about his reelection prospects, Harder said maintaining voters’ confidence requires a continued commitment to the communities he represents.
“We never take anything for granted,” Harder said. “My job is to wake up every day and to try to make sure we continue to earn the trust in Stockton and San Joaquin County.”
McBride acknowledges difficult odds but stops short of conceding
McBride, a longtime athletic performance coach from Lodi who campaigned as a political outsider, acknowledged that the early results presented a difficult path to victory but stopped short of conceding Tuesday night.
“Am I absolutely sure that I lost? No, I’m not,” McBride told Stocktonia in a phone interview.
Although McBride recognized that overcoming Harder’s substantial lead was unlikely, he said he wanted to allow more time for ballots to be counted before drawing a final conclusion.
“The likelihood of me making it up to the 55% is pretty slim. I’m realistic,” he said.
Throughout his campaign, McBride embraced his status as an underdog, drawing on decades of experience coaching athletes at Saint Mary’s High School in Stockton and the University of the Pacific.
He presented his professional background as preparation for public office, emphasizing the leadership, teamwork and accountability he developed throughout his coaching career.
McBride said Tuesday that he believed Harder had underestimated his candidacy. He also pointed to the financial disparities between the campaigns, arguing that his limited resources made it difficult to compete with the incumbent’s fundraising advantage.
Despite his disappointment with the early results, McBride thanked his supporters, campaign volunteers, donors and family members, including his wife and oldest son, who helped with campaign communications.
He said the experience had not discouraged him from remaining politically involved, although he was uncertain whether he would seek another term in Congress.
“Am I done in politics? No,” McBride said. “Am I going to run for Congress again? I don’t know.”
Redistricting reshapes the congressional race
Tuesday’s election took place under considerably different political circumstances than Harder’s previous congressional contest.
In 2024, Harder narrowly defeated former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln, a Republican, securing approximately 51.8% of the vote in a district where both major parties had demonstrated electoral strength.
The political landscape changed in November 2025, when California voters approved Proposition 50, temporarily redrawing the state’s congressional boundaries in response to Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas.
The revised map brought additional Democratic-leaning communities into the 9th District, improving Harder’s electoral prospects ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
In an October election preview, University of the Pacific political science professor Keith Smith described the new district as heavily tilted toward Democrats.
The changes also reshaped the field of candidates. Lincoln, who initially planned to challenge Harder again, shifted his campaign to the 13th Congressional District, where he faced Democratic incumbent Adam Gray.
McBride advanced from the June primary to challenge Harder, offering voters a choice between an incumbent emphasizing his congressional record and a Republican challenger calling for a different approach to the region’s economic challenges.
Although both candidates made affordability a central issue, they differed over its underlying causes and how the federal government should respond.
Harder highlighted his efforts to address rising PG&E rates, protect access to health care, oppose the proposed Delta Tunnel and secure federal investments for Central Valley communities. He also criticized the Trump administration’s economic policies, arguing that they had placed additional financial pressure on working families.
McBride emphasized gasoline prices, agriculture, housing affordability and government spending. He argued that California’s taxes and regulations contributed significantly to the region’s high cost of living and criticized Harder for focusing too heavily on national political disputes.
In interviews with Stocktonia before the June primary, McBride said the district needed greater attention to the concerns of farmers, seniors, younger residents and families struggling with everyday expenses.
Their competing messages reflected a shared acknowledgment of the financial pressures facing Central Valley residents, even as the candidates disagreed over the policies needed to address them.
Harder looks ahead to another term
With another term secured, Harder said his priorities would center on lowering costs for families and strengthening accountability in Washington.
He identified affordability and government oversight as two immediate concerns, calling for an end to the war in Iran and criticizing the Trump administration’s tariff policies for contributing to rising prices.
His comments echoed positions he emphasized throughout the campaign, particularly his argument that federal decisions directly affect the financial stability of San Joaquin County residents.
Earlier this year, Harder opposed federal legislation that county officials estimated could reduce annual funding for local health care and social services by as much as $76.9 million.
He also criticized the cancellation of federal energy grants affecting projects in Stockton and Lodi, arguing that funding decisions should reflect community needs rather than political considerations.
While the election gave Harder another term in Washington, the economic challenges that dominated both campaigns remain unresolved.
For McBride, the results raised questions about his political future after a campaign centered on giving the district an alternative voice. For Harder, the victory brings another opportunity to pursue his priorities while representing a constituency that remains divided over how best to address the region’s problems.
“We’re going to keep up the work no matter what,” Harder said.