Incumbent Jerry McNerney (D) and Candidate Ricky Gill (R)
STOCKTON, CA - The candidates running for California's 9th Congressional District, which includes the Stockton area, couldn't offer more differences.
Democratic incumbent Jerry McNerney is hoping for a fourth term, while Republican challenger Ricky Gill just became old enough to hold the office, if elected.
Despite his youth, Gill quickly learned to go after his opponent.
"Across his six years in congress, he's accumulated $3 million in special interest money from banks that drove our economy into a ditch," Gill said at a recent debate.
McNerney, on the other hand, tried to stay above personal jabs, focusing instead on his congressional accomplishments. He described being able to help a troubled veteran, one of his key issues.
"(He) came back, was homeless and living in a car. He heard about a job training program, and took advantage and is now employed at PG&E," McNerney said.
McNerney listed his top three issues as creating jobs and improving the economy, protecting the delta and serving veterans.
Gill said he wants to put the community back to work, fix schools and clean up government.
By Tim Daly, tdaly@news10.net
News10/KXTV