Who is running for Congress in the San Joaquin Valley? These are the candidates

California’s secretary of state has released its list of certified candidates to be on the March 5 primary ballot for Congress.

The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the Nov. 5 general election. Some San Joaquin Valley incumbents are in jeopardy of losing their seats, according to nonpartisan election analysts.

Here is a brief breakdown of who is running in each congressional district:

5th District

The 5th, represented by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, runs from Placerville down into Fresno County, covering Yosemite National Park and parts of Kings Canyon National Park. It grabs Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties as well as western El Dorado County and eastern Stanislaus, Madera and Fresno counties.

McClintock has represented various Northern California areas in Congress since 2009. The 5th is forecasted as solidly Republican in 2024. Democrat Mike Barkley, a lawyer and perennial candidate, is running against McClintock again, and so is no-party preference candidate Steve Wozniak — a business owner and writer, not the Apple co-founder.

9th District

This Stockton-anchored district takes in most of San Joaquin County and parts of Contra Costa and Stanislaus counties. Several analysts think the 9th, held by Rep. Josh Harder, D-Tracy, is likely rather than safely Democratic.

Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln is the leading GOP challenger. He is joined by Republicans John McBride, a strength and conditioning coach; and Khalid Jafri, an engineer and small business owner.

Harder moved into this district after redistricting based on the 2020 census — former Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney, who would have been expected to run in the new 9th, announced his retirement. Harder beat San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti, a Republican, here last year by almost 10 percentage points.

Previously, Harder represented parts of the 9th in an outdated district that held Modesto and Turlock. He unseated a longtime Republican, Rep. Jeff Denham, in 2018 to enter Congress.

13th District

The election in the 13th is expected to be a nail-biter in 2024. It had the nation’s second-closest House race in 2022.

Freshman Rep. John Duarte, R-Modesto, beat former Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, by fewer than 600 votes last year. They will vie for the seat again.

There are more registered Democrats than Republicans in the 13th, which holds all of Merced County and chunks of Madera, Stanislaus, Fresno and San Joaquin counties. Voters there backed President Joe Biden in 2020 by 11 percentage points.

20th District

There are many contenders on the ballot to succeed Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, who is retiring from Congress on Dec. 31. After he resigns, Gov. Gavin Newsom will also need to call for a special election to fill the remainder of this term. The primary for the special election could occur on the same day as the regularly-scheduled one.

The solidly-red 20th includes parts of Kern, Kings, Tulare and Fresno counties.

The presumptive frontrunner is McCarthy-endorsed Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield. A judge said Thursday that Fong could run for Congress in 2024 after the secretary of state previously said he could not appear on the ballot for the 20th. The Secretary of State’s Office confirmed Friday the office will appeal the decision that allows Fong to be on the ballot for both Congress and the Assembly.

Other Republicans on the ballot are Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux; businessman Stan Ellis, who has since encouraged voters to choose Fong; businessman Kyle Kirkland; David Giglio, an “America First” business owner; Kelly Kulikoff, mayor of California City; and Matt Stoll, a fighter pilot turned business owner. In addition to Ellis, at least one more of these Republicans might not actively campaign if Fong can, according to a consultant familiar with their plans.

Democrats include teacher Marisa Wood, who ran against McCarthy in 2022, and Andy Morales, a security guard. No party preference candidates are Ben Dewell, a meteorologist who ran as a Democrat here in 2022, and businessman T.J. Esposito.

21st District

The solidly-blue 21st, which covers the majority of Fresno, takes parts of Fresno and Tulare counties. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, was first elected to Congress here in 2004 and has had a couple of close elections in his tenure.

Republican Michael Maher, a businessman and veteran, will run again after falling to Costa on an 8% margin in 2022.

22nd District

The 22nd, which has more Democrats than Republicans and picked Biden by 13 points in 2020, includes most of Kings and parts of Tulare and Kern counties.

Analysts largely think Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, is in a 2024 toss-up.

Former Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, will run again. Valadao beat Salas on a 3% margin in 2022.

They face State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Bakersfield, and Republican Chris Mathys, a businessman and ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump.

Valadao survived tough elections in this area before, having lost and regained his House seat on slim margins in 2018 and 2020, respectively. With the exception of two years, Valadao has represented the area in the House since 2013.