Jose M. Hernandez - Congressional Campaign

Congressional Campaign

Hernandez told the Stockton Record in the summer of 2009 that he would consider running against fellow Democrat Dennis Cardoza in his Stockton based district.

Hernández announced at Pacific Union College on September 29, 2011 that at the urging of President Barack Obama he was considering a run for the U.S. House of Representatives and would announce his decision on October 11, 2011. He announced his candidacy as promised on October 11 via Twitter by linking to his campaign website. Hernandez made his first public campaign appearance on January 14, 2012, at a Democratic Candidate Forum in Tracy at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites.

In March 2012, Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk, a law firm with links to the California Republican Party, sued in Sacramento County Superior Court to block Hernandez from describing himself as an "astronaut/scientist/engineer" on the June ballot. The lawsuit stated that "astronaut is not a title one carries for life"; the election code requires the description be accurate for the previous calendar year. "Allowing a candidate to use the profession of 'astronaut' when he hasn't served in that profession recently is akin to allowing someone to use a title of 'sailor' when they no longer own or operate a ship," said Jennifer Kerns, a California Republican Party spokeswoman. On March 29, a Sacramento County Superior Court judge ruled that Hernández may be described as an astronaut on the June 5 primary ballot.

The payment of taxes were an issue for both Hernandez and his opponent. Denham criticized Hernandez for a tax lien of $10,813 imposed by the IRS in 2010 but only paid in 2012. In turn, Hernandez attacked Denham for two tax liens imposed against his business in 2003.

Despite his deep California and Central Valley roots, an outside super pac group designed and ran television ads that attempted to paint him as a "fly in" candidate from Houston, Texas and made much of the tax lien issue.