McNerney to face Amador again in November vote
After the dust settled Wednesday morning, unofficial final results from the March 3 primary presented a familiar battle in the race for the United States Congressional 9th District.
According to the California Secretary of State’s election results website, Rep. Jerry McNerney, DStockton, and perennial Republican challenger Tony Amador will face-off for the third time in the November general election.
McNerney, seeking an eighth term in Congress, tallied 53.5% of the vote Tuesday night with 427 of 428 precincts reporting.
Lodi resident and former U.S. Marshal Tony Amador garnered 32.2% of the vote, while political newcomer and self-employed financial advisor William Martinek pulled 14.3% of the vote.
Amador, who last week admitted he didn’t canvass precincts enough to collect campaign contributions, said on Wednesday morning that now was the time to knuckle down and focus on defeating McNerney in November.
“I’m very pleased,” he said. “I’m looking forward to (November). It’s going to be a lot longer race now, and this is like David and Goliath. I’m going to focus on raising money, and how to use it smartly and strategically in the coming months.”
The 9th Congressional District includes all of San Joaquin County north of Ripon and Tracy, as well as the eastern portion of Contra Costa County that includes Antioch and Brentwood, and a small southern section of Sacramento County that extends just north of Galt.
On Tuesday, McNerney garnered 52% of the vote in San Joaquin County and 57.4% in Contra Costa County. He received 39.3% in Sacramento County.
Amador earned 46% of the vote in Sacramento County, 38.3% in San Joaquin County and 20.8% in Contra Costa County.
In total, McNerney collected 38,207 votes Tuesday night, while Amador received 23,037 and Martinek garnered 10,237.
Late Tuesday night, San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters Melinda Dubroff said the voting and counting processes went off without a hitch.
“San Joaquin County was fully prepared for today’s election where we witnessed tremendous voter enthusiasm due to a presidential primary race, scores of candidates seeking local, state and federal office, a statewide proposition and a host of local measures up for a vote,” she said. “We are happy to report things ran smoothly today. Polls opened right on time at 7 a.m. and we saw a steady stream of voters throughout the day coming in to vote in person – or to drop off a mail-in (absentee) ballot at one of our 189 polling places and 4 Voter Service Centers.”