Jul. 23—The nation saw a rematch between presidential candidates in November, and now San Joaquin County will see two familiar faces go head-to-head in Congress.
Former Stockton mayor Kevin Lincoln announced his candidacy for the 9th District seat on Tuesday, setting up a rematch against incumbent Josh Harder in 2026.
“As a Marine, I learned the value of service and sacrifice,” he said in a media statement. “As mayor, I challenged the status quo and fought to make our communities safer, more affordable, and more prosperous. I’m looking to take these values and experiences to Washington, D.C., because valley families deserve a strong voice who understands their struggles and will deliver real results.”
Lincoln, 42, and Harder faced off last year for the seat, in which the latter won by a narrow 3.6%.
A former military police officer with United States Marine Corps, Lincoln is also the executive administrative pastor at Life Song Church and manager at Securities Services.
He served one term as Stockton’s mayor from 2022-2024, defeating Michael Tubbs.
Hours after Lincoln’s announcement, Harder posted a response that said he defeated the Republican in November and he’ll do it again next year.
“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,” Harder said.
“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,” he added. “Voters rejected him in 2024, and they’ll reject him again because our valley deserves better.”
Clements resident Jim Shoemaker and Stockton resident John McBride ran in last year’s election, and have announced their candidacy against Harder as well. Shoemaker ran against Jerry McNerney for the California Senate’s 5th seat, losing to the Democrat by 12.9% last November. This is Shoemaker’s fourth run for public office. Prior to last year’s campaign, he unsuccessfully ran for the District 5 seat in 2000, and ran against Harder.
Shoemaker has lived in the district for the last 35 years, and has worked in a variety of industries, including agriculture, construction, life insurance and real estate.
This will be McBride’s second run for Congress, who finished a distant third in last year’s primary. Born in Meriden, Conn., McBride, 64, is a former strength and conditioning coach at University of the Pacific and St. Mary’s High School who has lived in the district 35 years.
He is currently self-employed as an athletic performance coach, bodybuilding coach and nutrition advisor.