Congressman Josh Harder – with unofficial returns – appears to be headed back to Capitol Hill for a second term.

The incumbent 10th Congressional district representative polled an estimated 59 percent of the vote to the 41 percent for challenger Ted Howze in the race that featured votes cast in both San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.

Also, incumbent Assemblyman Heath Flora was enjoying large lead over challenger Paul Akinjo in his bid for re-election in the state’s 12th assembly district.

In Escalon, vote totals in the race for the Escalon Consolidated Fire Protection District showed Mark Paulsen on top, a couple of hundred votes ahead of Terry Pinheiro, with incumbent Josh Cummings in third place in the voting.

On Measure X, voted on countywide, the ‘Yes’ vote hovered around 66 percent to the 34 percent ‘No’ – the measure would authorize a marijuana business tax on a sliding scale based on the size and gross receipts of the business. The funds raised would be used for children and youth services.

Look for the full story in the Nov. 11 issue of The Times.