Josh Harder — as of 1 a.m. today — was leading Tom Patti by 12,770 votes in the race for the 9th Congressional seat.

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.

Harder, who currently serves in Congress representing Manteca and Ripon, moved to Tracy to run for the new seat.

Patti is a San Joaquin County supervisor who represents Manteca and Lathrop.

Harder had 39,990 votes or 59.68 percent of the ballots counted as of 1 a.m. Patti had 27,020 votes or 40.32 percent of the tally.

As of 1 a.m., 18.6 percent of the votes cast had been counted or 71,901 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 Tuesday have to have signatures verified before they are counted.

 “Tonight, is a great night for San Joaquin County,” Harder said Tuesday night. “I'm so proud of our community for making their voices heard. “Ballots are still being counted, and we’re seeing strong support from every corner of the district. Thank you to our whole team, including our incredible volunteers, for their tireless work to make sure the Valley is put first."

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com