McNerney to retire, Harder shifts to his seat

Rep. Jerry McNerney announced his retirement on Tuesday, unleashing a cascade of campaign moves in California's Central Valley.

The 70-year-old Democrat representing the Stockton area said he would not run another term in 2022 — expanding an ongoing House incumbent exodus and reshuffling California's midterm map.

Ripple effects: Frontline Democratic Rep. Josh Harder quickly shifted his reelection bid to the newly drawn 9th district McNerney represents. Harder had initially declared for a different seat, the new 13th congressional district; both seats are solidly Democratic.

That opens the 13th district, a now majority-Latino seat, to ambitious California Democrats. Assemblymember Adam Gray (D-Merced) quickly jumped in, saying in a tweet that he looks forward "to taking the fight for our water, greater access to health care, lower crime rates, and an improved quality of life for our Valley neighbors to Washington." Gray immediately rolled out a lengthy list of endorsements, indicating he had long planned a run.

Gray not be the only Democrat in the race. A campaign consultant for state Sen. Anna Caballero, Orrin Evans, told POLITICO that Caballero "thinks this is an historic opportunity for a Latina to represent the Central Valley.”

The bigger picture: McNerney becomes the latest California House Democrat to retire as redistricting complicates reelection plans and Democrats brace for potentially losing the House. He follows Reps. Alan Lowenthal, Jackie Speier and Lucille Roybal-Allard; Rep. Karen Bass is stepping aside to run for mayor of Los Angeles.