Republican and former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln is making a second run for the 9th Congressional seat now held by Josh Harder.
Lincoln made the announcement Tuesday.
The 9th Congressional District that is now shaping up as a rematch of the 2024 campaign is seen as key race for both Democrats and the Republicans in their bids to control the House of Representatives after the upcoming mid-term elections.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee listed Harder’s seat in 2026 as being one of the “most vulnerable” based on trends of independents in the 9th to lean more conservative in the last two election cycles.
The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting Harder after President Donald Trump carried the district last year by nearly 2 percentage points.
Lincoln must first get past two other hopefuls in the March 2026 Republican primary — perennial candidate and businessman Jim Shoemaker as well as John McBride.
McBride was also a 2024 primary candidate. He lists his occupation as an athletic coach.
“As a Marine, I learned the value of service and sacrifice,” Lincoln said in a statement on Tuesday. “As a mayor, I took on the status quo and fought to make our city safer, more affordable and more prosperous. Now, I’m stepping forward once again because our families deserve a strong voice in Washington D.C. that understands their struggles and will deliver real results for the Valley.”
The response to Lincoln’s announcement from Harder’s camp was swift and harsh.
“Kevin Lincoln is a failed mayor and serial candidate who allowed crime and homelessness to soar in Stockton all while spending millions on perks for himself and aligning with Washington extremists to rip health care away from Valley families,” said Kevin Winslow, spokesperson for the Harder for Congress campaign.
“Handpicked by political elites, Lincoln would be a guaranteed vote for higher housing and grocery prices, hospital closures, and Social Security cuts all to serve billionaires like Elon Musk. Voters rejected him in 2024, and they’ll reject him again because our Valley families deserve better."
There was push back from Republicans using similar rhetoric underscoring the likelihood the campaign will not be civil.
“Millionaire Democrat Josh Harder sold out the Central Valley the moment he got to Washington — trading common sense for a far-left, radical agenda that fueled inflation, opened the border, and made life harder for every Californian,” said National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Spokesman Christian Martinez. “He’s out of touch, he’s failed his district, and next November, voters will hold him accountable.”
Lincoln’s resume includes being:
*a former Marine who served on Marine One during the George W. Bush years.
*graduate of both Grand Canyon University and Liberty University
*employed by several security firms in the Bay Ara during the 2000’s and early 2010’s.
*head of the LifeSong Church in Stockton.
*a 2016 candidate for the California Assembly in 2016, ultimately losing to then Assemblywoman Susan Eggman.
*elected Stockton mayor in 2020 by defeating Michael Tubbs who was considered by the California Democratic Party as one of their rising stars.
*the loser in a close race with Harder in 2024 when he came up roughly 9,000 votes short.
The 9th District includes almost all of San Joaquin County with the excerption of Lathrop, rural south Manteca, and rural south and east Tracy. It also includes parts of Contra Costa and Stanislaus counties,
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
