Story Tools

Email this story | Print this story

Indexes

Today's Stories

Last 7 Days

Top Blogs

• Crash kills 1, injures 2

• Little-known general from Volcano, who fought at Iwo Jima, recalled

• After losing, Lodi City Council hopefuls plan next moves

• It's 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' for Democrat McNerney

• Holiday rush has already hit Lodi

• Regional Roundup

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

February 2nd, 2010

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Jumpers across California

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

February 1st, 2010

• Find cuddly alpacas not too far from Lodi

• Public Meetings

• Patients can expect faster, better service when Lodi Memorial Hospital's new emergency room opens

• Man killed by Amtrak train in Lodi

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (75)
• President Obama's first year (67)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future (60)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (49)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (45)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (34)
• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (31)

ADVERTISEMENT

It's 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' for Democrat McNerney

DUBLIN — The "Jerry McNerney for Congress" sign outside his campaign headquarters has been crossed out. Somebody's scrawled in red: "Congressman Jerry McNerney!"

The exclamation point of amazement says it all.

On Tuesday, McNerney, a little-known Democrat with a math Ph.D. but no experience in elected office, shoved out one of California's most powerful Republican incumbents even though nobody thought he could.

Seven-term lawmaker Richard Pombo, chairman of the House Resources Committee that writes environmental laws, will go back to his Tracy cattle ranch come January. McNerney will go to Congress.

"It became a mountain, a tidal wave," a sleep-deprived but happy McNerney said Thursday of the grass-roots support, helped along by high-spending environmental groups, that swept him into office.

"I have a challenge to show them that I'm there for them," he said. "I'm ready for the challenge."

McNerney will represent California's 11th Congressional District that takes in portions of the San Joaquin Valley and the eastern San Francisco Bay area. The district is gaining Democratic voters as bay area commuters move in, but Republicans still outnumber Democrats by 5.6 percent among registered voters.

Those GOP-friendly numbers are forcing McNerney to think ahead even as he fielded back-to-back congratulatory calls Thursday from fellow California Democrats and well-wishers around the country.

"It's going to be a contested race in 2008, we certainly recognize that," McNerney, 55, said in an interview at his campaign headquarters, in a nondescript office building above an electrical workers' union.

After working for years as a wind-energy engineer and consultant, his hope is to earn constituents' support by pushing in Washington for alternative-energy projects that will bring jobs to his district.

"The new energy economy — I want it to be centered right here," he said.

The walls of McNerney's campaign office were plastered with cutouts of multicolored cowboy boots, to symbolize kicking out Pombo, who's known for his cowboy boots.

There was also a photo of McNerney with Bill Clinton, who drew a huge crowd at a rain-soaked late-night rally in the campaign's final days.

When they met, McNerney said, Clinton pinned him with his intense gaze and declared: "You're going to win this."

"I was kind of numb," McNerney said.

He ended up beating Pombo 53 percent to 47 percent. Two years ago McNerney lost to Pombo, 39 percent to 61 percent.

McNerney didn't have the support of national Democrats in his party's primary. They backed retired Navy reservist Steve Filson, who had the hawkish profile the party was looking for. McNerney opposes the Iraq war and supports setting a timetable to get troops out.

But McNerney had a strong grass-roots operation dating from 2004 when he ran as a write-in candidate in the Democratic primary. It carried him to easy victory over Filson, boosted him over Pombo and, he hopes, will help him keep his seat in campaigns to come.

First published: Saturday, November 11, 2006