Former Congressman Jerry McNerney to Run for State Senate

Former US Congressman Jerry McNerney announced over the weekend he was running for the California State Senate District 5 seat.

The District 5 seat is open as Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman terms out. There has been some musical chairs in terms of people running for the senate seat as both Edith Villapudua (wife of assemblyman Carlos Villapudua)and Rhodesia Ransom originally were going to run.

On Thursday, however, husband and wife switched races—meaning Carlos will run for Senate and Edith will run for Assembly. Ransom also announced a switch from the Senate to Assembly. This prompted Senator Susan Eggman to contact McNerney and asked him to run—which McNerney accepted.

Here is how it stands:

California State Assembly Race:

Rhodesia Ransom
Edith Villapudua
Note – Deadline extended to run with Carlos Villapudua now running for senate.

California State Senate Race:

Jerry McNerney
Carlos Villapudua

In a video posted online by Kyoko Takayama on December 9, McNerney announced his run.

“This January, I decided to hang up my spurs and live the life of a civilian and was at peace with that. Then this last Monday, I got a call from Susan Eggman, who is the state senator from this district and she said Jerry, we want you to run for this seat,” explained McNerney. “I had to think about this… but the State Senate is a wonderful operation and you can actually get stuff done in the State Senate instead of being 435 people who just want to fight each other all the time. We are going to get stuff done. I am pre-announcing my entry into the California State Senate race.”

McNerney said he wanted to work on issues that impact California such as homelessness, water, gun violence, climate change, privacy and artificial intelligence.

Assemblyman Villapudua announced Thursday that he would run for the State Senate.

“After much thought and consideration, and after discussing with both my wife and my family, I have decided to announce my candidacy for the 5th State Senate District. In the State Assembly, I have been able to fight for our San Joaquin Delta, pass legislation that targeted fentanyl dealers, assisted survivors of human trafficking, helped reduce waste and clean our environment and help lift people from poverty to entrepreneurship. I look forward to taking this record of accomplishment to the State Senate and achieve results for the people of the 5th Senate District on public safety, quality of life, health care accessibility, climate change, job creation, reducing your daily commute and reducing homelessness,” said Villapudua in a statement.

Senate District 5

Senate District 5 includes all of San Joaquin County and portions of Stanislaus and Sacramento Counties. The split in Sacramento County is a result of the southern city of Galt being included in this district, while the split in Stanislaus County reflects most of the city of Modesto being added to achieve population equality, along with the whole city of Riverbank and whole communities of Del Rio and Salida. The blending in this district allows for the city of Lodi to be reunited with San Joaquin County along with its sister city of Galt. Both of these cities share a common school district and other services between cities and across counties. This district maintains the integrity of Valley floor communities and links Galt with Lodi, and the remainder of Stanislaus County with southern San Joaquin County.

McNerney retires from US Congress

Back in January 2022, Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA-09) stated he would not seek re-election after serving five terms

“I am very proud of the many accomplishments that my staff and I have achieved in Congress, including the creation of a major veteran’s health center facility in San Joaquin County, providing outstanding help for constituents with federal agencies, and securing major investments in infrastructure and public safety, broadband, education, childcare, and health care access. I have always fought tirelessly for those in need, and I will continue to do so. I am grateful for the love and support of my family, who have been by my side throughout this journey. I could not have done this without them. I will keep working for the people of my district throughout the remainder of my term and look forward to new opportunities to continue to serve,” stated McNerney.

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