Two Republican Congressmen in heavily Democratic parts of the Central Valley are maintaining leads in their respective races.
Rep. John Duarte (R–Modesto) and Rep. David Valadao (R–Hanford) both are in winning positions as the latest ballots continue to come in.
The big picture: As of the latest results on Friday, Duarte leads former Asm. Adam Gray 51.3% to 48.7%.
- Duarte, who had one of the closest races in the nation two years ago – winning by around 600 votes – is up by over 3,200 votes over Gray.
- Valadao holds a sizable lead in his rematch against former Asm. Rudy Salas (D–Bakersfield). Valadao is up 54.5% to 45.5% and leads by over 10,000 votes.
The other side: While the incumbent Republicans are leading in the Valley, the two incumbent Democrats also lead.
- Rep. Jim Costa (D–Fresno) holds a slim lead over Michael Maher, 50.5% to 49.5% with around 1,300 votes separating the two.
- Rep. Josh Harder (D–Tracy) holds a slightly larger lead against Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincon, winning 51.2% to 48.8% by around 4,000 votes.
What we’re watching: There are still hundreds of thousands of ballots throughout the Central Valley that remain unprocessed.
- Kern, Fresno and San Joaquin Counties all have over 100,000 ballots that need to be counted.
- Stanislaus County has around 70,000 remaining ballots, with Merced County coming in around 40,000, Tulare County around 30,000, Madera County around 10,000 and Kings County around 7,000.
