Jerry McNerney

Gerald Mark McNerney (born June 18, 1951) is an American businessman, politician, and the U.S. representative for CA's 9th congressional district from 2007 until 2023.

He is a member of the Democratic Party.

After leaving West Point in 1971 in protest of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, he enrolled at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where he received bachelor's and master's degrees and, in 1981, a Ph.D. in mathematics, with a doctoral dissertation in differential geometry focusing on a generalization of the Laplace–Beltrami operator.

McNerney served several years as a contractor to Sandia National Laboratories at Kirtland Air Force Base on national security programs.

In 1985, he accepted a senior engineering position with U.S. Windpower (Kenetech).

In 1994, he began working as an energy consultant for PG&E, FloWind, The Electric Power Research Institute, and other utility companies.

Before being elected to Congress, McNerney served as the CEO of a start-up company manufacturing wind turbines, HAWT Power (Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Power).

McNerney first ran for Congress against Richard Pombo in California's 11th congressional district in the 2004 House elections.

He entered the race two weeks before the primary election as a write-in candidate, encouraged by his son.

He qualified as a write-in candidate for the March primary by a small margin.

With no opponent, he won the primary and qualified for the November general election ballot as the Democratic nominee.

He lost the general election, 61%-39%.

McNerney launched his 2006 campaign early in the fall of 2005.

In June 2006 he won the Democratic primary with 52.8% of the vote, defeating Steve Filson, who had been endorsed by the DCCC, and Stevan Thomas.

In late July, Republicans Pete McCloskey and Tom Benigno, both of whom ran in the Republican primary against Pombo, endorsed McNerney.

In September, analysis of the campaign was changed from "Republican safe" to "Republican favored" due to the emergence of McNerney's campaign.

The report noted "a [GOP] party spokesman says it's because they want to win decisively but others speculate that internal polling has delivered bad news for the incumbent."

On October 3, a poll commissioned by Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund was released with McNerney leading Pombo, 48% to 46%.

Based on these events, in early October, CQPolitics.com changed their rating of this race from Republican Favored to Leans Republican

On November 7, 2006, McNerney defeated Pombo, 53–47%.

McNerney was reelected, 55% to 45%, over Republican nominee Dean Andal.

McNerney was reelected, 48%–47%, defeating Republican nominee David Harmer.

For his first three terms, McNerney represented a district that encompassed eastern Contra Costa County, most of San Joaquin County outside of Stockton, and a small portion of Santa Clara County.

After redistricting, his district was renumbered as the 9th district.

It lost its portion of Contra Costa County, including McNerney's home in Pleasanton, while picking up all of Stockton along with part of Sacramento County.

After the new map was announced, McNerney announced he would move to Stockton in the new 9th.

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law a bill McNerney wrote that establishes an evaluation panel to assess the Veteran's Administration treatments for traumatic brain injury.

While the old 11th was a hybrid Bay Area/Central Valley district, the new 9th was more of a Central Valley district, slightly more Democratic than its predecessor.

McNerney eventually bought a home in Stockton.

He was reelected, 56%–44%, defeating Republican nominee Ricky Gill.

His district, numbered as the 11th district until 2013, was based in Stockton and included parts of San Joaquin County, East Contra Costa County, and southern Sacramento County.

McNerney holds a Ph.D in mathematics.

McNerney did not run for reelection in 2022.

On December 8, 2023, McNerney filed for an open seat in District 5 of the California State Senate, upending a dynasty-making move into the race by Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua.

McNerney was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the son of Rosemary (née Tischhauser) and John E. McNerney.

He is of Swiss and Irish descent.

He attended St. Joseph's Military Academy in Hays, Kansas, and, for two years, the United States Military Academy at West Point.

McNerney wrote a bill in 2013 that allowed veterans to keep receiving their benefits during the government shutdown.

McNerney was one of the first lawmakers to call for the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki after revelations about delays in care at VA health care facilities.

McNerney is a proponent of renewable energy and supports cap and trade.