Republican Gets Most Votes In Senate District 5 Race

PLEASANTON, CA — Initial results show Republican Jim Shoemaker besting Democratic Congressman Jerry McNerney and Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua in the race to represent California’s 5th Senate District. The district is newly-created after 2020 redistricting, and incorporates Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore into a district that already included Tracy, Stockton, and Lodi. A Republican has not been elected to the State Senate in that area for many years, and observers considered it a safe seat. McNerney came in second by just over 100 votes, according to initial totals:

• Jim Shoemaker: 5,375 (42.08%)
• Jerry McNerney: 4,356 (34.10%)
• Carlos Villapudua: (23.82%)

If Shoemaker wins over 50% of the vote, he will win the seat outright. If no candidate wins over 50%, the top two vote-getters will face off in November. Some political observers believe that the district, where a comfortable majority of residents are Democrats, split the Democratic vote between McNerney and Villapudua.

Shoemaker is a business owner and former truck driver who has never held office before. According to a report from the Mercury News, Shoemaker raised just over $7,000, while McNerney raised over $300,000, and Villapudua raised $423,000. Outside groups spent $2.6 million in the election.

McNerney represented the area in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007-2023, while Villapudua has represented the area in the California State Assembly since 2020, after representing District 1 on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.

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