Denham, McNerney, McClintock win

Despite widespread dissatisfaction with Congress, regional races tilted toward the incumbents. Political novice Michael Eggman ran a hard race against Republican Rep. Jeff Denham, but the veteran politician won.

District 9 Rep. Jerry McNerney, a Democrat, held a slim edge over his Republican challenger, Tony Amado. The district centers on San Joaquin but dips into parts of Contra Costa and Sacramento counties as well.

In the sprawling foothills District 4, where the race is between two Republicans, Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, cruised to victory over his challenger, Army officer Art Moore of Roseville. The tally was McClintock with 59 percent and Moore with 41 percen.

Denham thanked supporters gathered at his Modesto headquarters. “Tonight is about changing the nation. Republicans are winning the House and the Senate. It is now time to be sure we’re putting things on the president’s desk,” he said.

High school interns who made thousands of phone calls on Denham’s behalf stood beside him. Ceres High senior David Levario, 17, said his passion for politics had been stoked by months of working for the campaign. “Now we understand who we’re working for, what we’re fighting for,” he said.

Hours into the count, however, Eggman still held out hope. “We’ve all worked very hard, so I’m not conceding anything until all the votes are counted,” he said. Noting that Democratic votes tend to come in later, he said, “I’ve been walking nonstop and knocking on doors. We’re keeping the faith.”

In campaigning, Eggman repeatedly sought to tie Denham to an unpopular Congress and the Republican-led government shutdown in 2013. Congress has the lowest approval rating in 40 years of Gallup tracking, at 14 percent in the latest poll.

Pro-Denham mailers sought to tie Eggman to powerful Democrats, like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama, who have not been active in his campaign, and to Obamacare, which Eggman had no part in passing. This was Eggman’s first try for elected office.

As of Oct. 15, Denham held a clear funding advantage. His campaign reported receiving $2.6 million in contributions, with $1.4 million in cash on hand, on Federal Election Commission filings. Eggman reported raising $1.2 million, with $266,000 in cash on hand.

Eggman beat the pavement seeking votes, mounted a TV campaign and plastered signs across the district.

This story was originally published November 4, 2014 at 10:48 PM with the headline "Denham, McNerney, McClintock win."