Josh Harder is returning to Congress.
But this time instead of representing the bulk of Stanislaus County and just Manteca, Ripon, Escalon, and Lathrop in San Joaquin County the 36 year-old Democrat will be representing almost all of San Joaquin County.
The latest ballot tally released Tuesday by the San Joaquin Registrar of Voters with more than a third of the votes cast counted gave Harder 56.81 percent (72,781 voters) and Republican challenger and San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti 43.19 percent (55,332 votes).
“I’m incredibly honored our community has put their faith in me once again,” Harder said in a statement released Tuesday evening. “There's a huge amount of work that needs to get done, and I truly believe if we focus on common sense solutions we can get prices down, protect our water, and keep our community safe. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I won't let you down.”
The new 9th District is completely within San Joaquin County. The only parts not included are Lathrop and the rural areas south of Manteca and east of Tracy.
As of Tuesday, 35.6 percent of the votes cast had been counted or 137,296 out of 385,079.
It may be weeks before a final count occurs. That’s because mail-in ballots received in the days leading up to the election or dropped off on Election Day have to have signatures verified before they are counted.
Harder has served in Congress since 2019;
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com