McNerney, Costa claim re-election

STOCKTON
November 10, 2010 7:02pm

Two Central Valley congressmen Wednesday evening claimed victory in their reelection bids – both by narrow margins.

Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, apparently won his bid for a third term representing the 11th Congressional District.

“With the vast majority of votes tallied, the results are clear. Congressman McNerney now has an insurmountable lead,” says Doug Greven, manager of the McNerney for Congress campaign.

He says that with “nearly all outstanding votes” counted in the district, which includes parts of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Santa Clara counties, Mr. McNerney “now maintains an insurmountable lead of 1,681 votes.”

Not so fast, says Republican candidate David Harmer, who refuses to concede the election.

“On election night, when I led by thousands of votes, and supporters were congratulating me and calling me Congressman, I cautioned that it was too early to claim victory. Many votes remained to be counted,” says Mr. Harmer in a written statement. “That is still the case tonight. Just as it would have been premature to claim victory then, it would be premature to concede defeat now.”

Further to the south, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, claims victory in his reelection bid against Republican Andy Vidak of Hanford.

Mr. Costa’s campaign says he has a 1,200 vote lead over Mr. Vidak.

“This has been a hard-fought campaign. It appears that it is now over. I believe our 1,200-vote margin will not only stand up, but will increase as the remaining few ballots are counted,” says Mr. Costa.

Mr. Costa calls for more cooperation between parties to solve Valley problems.

“More than ever, we need a less political and more bi-partisan approach; a team effort with all of us in the Valley – Democrats and Republicans – pulling together for a common goal,” he says.

Here's how the two congressional vote counts are shaping up:

In San Joaquin County, approximately 6,500 provisional ballots remain to be counted in the McNerney-Harmer race. Currently, Mr. McNerney is reporting 44.34 percent of the vote and Mr. Harmer 48.61 percent in San Joaquin County. Applying these same trends to the remaining ballots, Mr. Harmer could gain 278 votes, the McNerney campaign says.

In Contra Costa County, approximately 4,500 vote-by-mail and provisional ballots remain to be counted. Currently, Mr. McNerney is reporting 48.45 percent of the vote and Mr. Harmer 48.66 percent. Applying these same trends to the remaining ballots, Mr. Harmer could gain 9 votes from Contra Costa County.

In Alameda County, approximately 200 ballots remain at most to be counted. Currently, Mr. McNerney is reporting 56.29 percent of the vote and Mr. Harmer 40.82 percent in Alameda County.

In Santa Clara County, approximately 500 provisional and other ballots remain to be counted. Mr. McNerney is currently reporting 52.10 percent of the vote and Mr. Harmer is reporting 43.88 percent. McNerney is likely to gain approximately 41 votes in Santa Clara County, his campaign says.

It’s a much more narrow race between Mr. Costa and Mr. Vidak.

Current vote totals are:

Kern County: Costa 13,907; Vidak 8,871

Kings County: Costa 7,890; Vidak 18,247

Fresno County: Costa 18,169; Vidak 11,648

Total: Costa 39,966 (50.8 percent); Vidak 38,766 (49.2 percent)

There has been no word about any recounts.