U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, a Democrat, was well ahead of his Republican opponent Tom Patti in Tuesday’s election for a seat in Congress to represent most of San Joaquin County, according to the county’s unofficial election results.

A campaign sign for congressional candidate Josh Harder appears in Stockton on Nov. 4, 2022. (Photo by Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local)

Harder, who represented California’s 10th Congressional District prior to redistricting related to the latest U.S. Census numbers, had about 62 percent of the votes for the 9th District seat while Patti, a member of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors, had about 38 percent, according to the unofficial results.

The winner of the race will replace Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton, who was not running again for the 9th District seat.

During the June primary election, Harder and Patti finished as the top-two finishers, leading to Tuesday’s runoff election.

The 9th District covers all of San Joaquin County except for Lathrop and some unincorporated areas of south Tracy.

Harder said on his candidate page that some of the key issues he wanted to focus on if elected were bringing down health care costs, bringing more doctors and nurses to the valley, jobs and education, water, agriculture, veterans, immigration, and homelessness.

Victoria Franco is a Stockton-based reporter covering the diverse news around the Central Valley as part of the Report for America program. As a Stockton native, Franco is proud to cover stories within her community and report a variety of coverage. She is a San Jose State University alumna with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. In her collegiate years she was Managing Editor for the Spartan Daily. From her time at the Spartan Daily she helped lead her staff to California College Media Awards and a General Excellence first place. Victoria encourages readers to email her story tips and ideas at victoria.franco@baycitynews.com.