Record Net - McNerney, Amador Battle for Congressional District 9

News Article

By Zachary K. Johnson

Tony Amador landed on the political scene in San Joaquin County in 2010, joining a crowded field of challengers who thought Democrat Jerry McNerney couldn't hold onto his once-Republican seat.

The retired U.S. Marshall didn't make the primary cut in 2010, but he stuck around and entered the fray again this year to try and topple McNerney, making it past the June primary to the November ballot.

Since McNerney was first elected to office in 2006, his efforts to stay there have drawn national attention and money and the election often went down to the wire in close contests. But redistricting following the 2010 U.S. Census re-shaped the district, centering it on the northern half of San Joaquin County and including all of the city of Stockton.

The first race in the newly drawn district in 2012 again drew national money and attention, but the final tally wasn't close, with McNerney winning by a margin of 11 percentage points. This year, the Democrats have a solid registration advantage in the Ninth Congressional District, and the national gaze has moved onto other districts deemed more competitive.

Still, McNerney, 63, said he's not taking any chances and is campaigning hard again in 2014. "I've been through too many close ones," he said.

Amador, 71, says McNerney should be worried. "This is going to be a closer election than you might think, despite the registration numbers."

McNerney was a political newcomer when he defeated seven-term Tracy Republican Richard Pombo in 2006. Tough-won victories followed before the districts were redrawn. The same kind of money and attention followed McNerney in his bid for the Stockton-centric district in 2012 when he defeated Republican Rick Gill.

"People last election were still in the mindset that it was a competitive district," said Keith Smith, an associate professor of political science at the University of the Pacific. But that has changed, he said.

Amador said McNerney could do more for his district and said he is not alone in that thinking. McNerney has been in office for too long with too little to show for it, Amador said. "Ya basta," he said, using a Spanish phrase that means, "That's enough."

Amador said he'd be more effective, saying he could get more done in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives. But he also said he is independent enough to go against the party line, if necessary, or to be able to work well with Democrats.

"I would challenge you to name one piece of legislation (McNerney) has authored -- not coauthored, (because) you can jump on a lot of bills -- that has been signed by the president," Amador said. And he's been in office, now, eight years."

Though technically true, McNerney's office can still point to places in which his legislation has become law. Those examples include a bill to enhance funding for geothermal-energy technology that was wrapped into the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, and a McNerney bill to create a panel to assess the capacity to treat veterans with traumatic brain injuries was included in law passed for veterans health care in 2010. There are other examples when bills or amendments introduced by McNerney were signed into law.

McNerney describes himself as a moderate, saying he's been able to work with Republicans on legislation in Washington as well as on issues that matter close to home. The joint effort from himself and Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, to push the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to build a long-anticipated health care facility for veterans in a French Camp location is one such example.

"I am considered one of the most bipartisan members of congress, and I have very close friendships across the aisle," McNerney said.

And in the time he's spent in Washington, McNerney said he's learned a lot more about what it takes to move legislation, but he's also been developing the relationships that will help do that, too. That's getting to know Senators and other officials. Besides co-sponsoring bills with Republicans, McNerney said he's reaching across the aisle playing paddleball with his Republican colleagues.

"There are members I disagree (with) on issues, but we still are able to sit down and talk about how legislation can work, how we can get it through and get it signed, and it's something that makes sense for everybody," he said. "I certainly have my opinions, but I'm able to work together to get things done."

Amador said he also has shown he is able to work across the aisle, noting that he had been appointed to join and even chair state panels by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown during Brown's first terms as governor. And Amador said he has views that run contrary to some Republicans' beliefs. He said he refused to sign a no-new-taxes pledge and publically supported Stockton's latest sales-tax measure to hire more police officers because of its importance to public safety.

Amador, a past president of the county Republican party, also said he has also been criticized by some in his party for his stance on immigration reform. "Reform means more than securing our borders," he said. There should be a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants in the country, if it is done right, he said.

McNerney agrees on that point. "There are issues we agree on, and this is one of them," he said. "We need more security to make sure our borders are safe," he said. "We want to make sure the folks here have a record of employment, paying their taxes, and then we can think about whether … citizenship is viable."

The Ninth Congressional District is one of two in San Joaquin County. It contains Stockton, Lodi and Lathrop. It also holds pieces of Contra Costa and Sacramento counties, but the bulk of its voters are in San Joaquin County.

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