We present the current candidates in alphabetical order. This information is from federal financial statements and quarterly fund-raising reports. To see a list of the contributors for each candidate, following the instructions at the end of this piece.
Michael Barkley: (ID H2CA00096):
Mr. Barkley, a Navy Veteran, attorney, apartment house owner, computer programmer and rancher-farmer has run in the District 10 primary in 2012, 2014 and 2016. His best showing was in 2016 where he received 14.5% of the vote (18,576). The primary featured four candidates. Mr. Barkley finished third behind Jeff Denham (R) and Michael Eggman (D) and ahead of Robert Hodges (R).
His platform, in great detail, is set forth at his website, http://www.mjbarkl.com . He supports a single payer health care system, calling it “Medicare for all”.
Mr. Barkley’s primary assets include six houses, including his personal residence, valued at $1,000,000-$5,000,000; 73 apartments in Manteca valued at $1,000,000-$5,000,000 , and cash on hand of $30,000 to $100,000.
Debts include a note on the apartments for $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 and a line of credit of $100,000 to $250,000, both with JPMorgan Chase Bank
His campaign war chest has about $36,000 on hand, with about $35,000 of that amount shown as a loan owed by his committee. He was asked by email for more detail and he replied, simply, that he was “funded through the primary.”
Mateo Bedolla: (H8CA10100):
Mr. Bedolla has not had to file a financial statement yet because he has not yet raised $5,000 for his campaign. In fact, as of October 15 he had only about $100 in cash on hand.
His web site (http://votemateo.weebly.com) traces his roots through schooling in Tracy High and a BS in political science from CSU East Bay. He has worked in construction and has had one political post as a legislative and district staffer in the 9th Congressional District.
He will be old enough to be in Congress by the time the election rolls around, he is only 24 now.
Terrance (TJ) Cox: (H8CA10167):
Mr. Cox’s fund-raising activities have raised a total of $181, 896 as of 9-30-2017, reported in the Quarterly filing made on 10-15-2017. About $65,000 of that sum, about 32 %, came from contributions or loans from Mr. Cox himself.
His contributors are a diverse lot. The Quarterly Report filed 10-15-2017 does not show any contributors from the District other than Mr. Cox.
And, the money has come from all kinds of people, retirees, doctors, lawyers, tattoo artists and a professional poker player who went “all in”, putting up the maximum of $2,700, from her home in Arizona.
Raising and spending money on a congressional campaign is not a new thing for Mr. Cox. During his run for the 19th District in 2006, he raised $886,089 of which $687,599 was loaned to the campaign to him. He spent $687,599, of which $198,000 was repayment of his loans. He got about 40 percent of the vote in the general election against longtime Congressman George Radinovich(R). Mr. Denham was elected to that seat in 2010 after the incumbent retired.
Mr. Cox has no apparent, recent connection to District 10. His run for the 19th District in 2006 dipped into parts of Stanislaus County.
His biggest sources of income are from a custom nut processing plant in Madera, which he founded and from a real estate development firm. From each he draws $100,000 to $1,000,000 a year.
He is also involved with Limited Liability Corporations which are in a federal program that allocates tax credits for use in underserved areas.
The tax credit encourages developers and banks to undertake projects that might not otherwise be undertaken. He has handled allocations totaling $65,000,000. He earned a 3% fee on that money by shepherding it through the development process.
According to a financial statement filed October 30, 2017, he has assets which, in the aggregate, are worth about $17,000,000 to $66,620,000 and debts of about $5,000,000 to $26,000,000.
Josh Harder: (H8CA10126):
Mr. Harder’s roots in the Central Valley are deep–five generations. He grew up in Turlock, attended Modesto High then Stanford, and Harvard.
At Harvard, he took a joint masters’ degree programs at the Harvard business School and the Kennedy School then went to work for Bessemer Venture Partners where he advises small businesses.
He is the top fund raiser among Denham opponents, showing total receipts of $644,185 from about 1,100 contributors.
Among the contributors are college professors, investor types, and arguably Modesto’s most famous progeny George Lucas.
Mr. Harder’s financial statement shows he has assets ranging in aggregate value of $144,000 to $570,000. His assets consist of investments in various funds and his retirement plan accounts, two of which are his most valuable holdings. He shows no debt and a salary of $310,383 for 2016.
His website is: http://www.harderforcongress.com.
Virginia Madueno: (H8CA10175)
A former council member and Mayor of Riverbank, she has been in a bruising election battle before. In 2016, she tried for the State Assembly, District 12, and came in third in the primary. She was the top Democratic vote getter.
She did publicly express some concern about another election campaign but filed her statement of candidacy with the Clerk of the House on August 17.
She had not, as of this writing, filed a financial statement with the Clerk. She had filed an accounting with the Federal Election Commission which showed she had received $45,456 as of September 30. Of that amount, $10,000 came from a loan she made. Its early days but among her contributors were several Democratic stalwarts, some of whom contributed to earlier-declaring candidates.
After graduation from California State University, Stanislaus, she began a career in marketing and public relations. She now has her own company.
Her website is www.virginiaforcongress.com
Dorothy (Dotty) Nygard: (H8AC10118):
A registered nurse with early backing from a number of nursing unions and associations, she was, along with Mr. Harder, first into the fray.
Her fund-raising efforts have not come close to matching Mr. Harder’s but she appears to be the internet favorite, based on a non-scientific review of postings.
As of September 30, she lists a total of $33,552 raised. Unlike some of the others, this fund comes entirely from contributors—no loans from the candidate.
Her financial statement, filed early on and not updated, do not disclose much. Under the assets section she disclosed an interest in two retirement plans, each with an overall value of $50,000,000, without stating what her actual interest was.
She disclosed no debt and said her salary for the first five months of 2017 was $122,157.
Her first foray into politics appears to be a leadership role in the recall efforts in Riverbank for the Whites (Jesse James White and his grandfather Dave White in 2009). She went on to run for, and win, a seat on the Riverbank City Council. But, she stayed for only three years of the four-year term. Citing personal reasons, she moved to Tracy where she now lives.
Her platform is set out in detail on her website: dottynygardforcongress.com. Her nursing degree is from Cal State Hayward and she currently works for Sutter Health as an ER nurse.
Sue Zwahlen: (H8CA10183)
Although among the latest to declare for the District 10 seat, Mrs. Zwahlen has filed a very complete financial statement showing assets held by she and her husband totaling between a bit over $3,000,000 to a bit short of $8,000,000.
Most of the assets are investments, other than in real estate, and retirement accounts for she and her dentist husband. They own a dental building, a medical building and a residential rental. Debts of $750,000 to $1,500,000 are linked to the purchase and remodeling of the buildings.
She has raised $52,961 and added $30,000 of her own money to bring her total receipts to $82,961 as of Sept. 30. Included in that amount is $18,900 from other folks named Zwalen. Also among her 50 or so contributors is entrepreneur Dan Costa.
She has worked as an emergency room nurse for 40 years. A lifelong resident of Modesto, she serves on the Modesto City School Board. She details her accomplishments and platform at www.suezwahlen.com .
Terra Snover:(H8CA10142)
The first transgender woman to run for congress in California, she has only raised $300 as of 9-30-2017 and has not filed a federal financial statement.
She lives in San Jose but has indicated she will move into the district after the first of the year, held back by medical insurance issues right now.
She is running as an independent.
Her website is http://www.voteterrasnover.com.
Source Material: The starting point is www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/CA/2018. Then you go to the 10th District, “all candidates comparison” from which you can view the source reports, including all contributors under “receipts”.
-30-
A Little Long Form Journalism 