Two years after lost one of California’s few open Congressional seats by a razor-thin margin, former Assemblyman Adam Gray (D–Merced) is headed to Congress to represent California’s 13th Congressional District, besting his 2022 foe, freshman Rep, John Duarte (R–Modesto), by a margin of 187 votes.
Duarte told Axios he formally conceded the race to Gray on Tuesday evening.
The back story: California’s 13th Congressional District – which stretches from San Joaquin to Fresno counties – was drawn by California’s citizen-led redistricting commission as a Latino-majority district – yet, like the 22nd Congressional District (represented by Republican Rep. David Valadao) to the south, it’s proved to be anything but a shoo-in for Democrats.
- Gray lost the 2022 contest to Duarte, a farmer and nursery owner, by the slimmest margin of the year – a mere 564 votes.
- Duarte’s victory helped cement a narrow majority for then-incoming House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R–Bakersfield), who recruited the farmer to run after the 2020 census forced a redraw of districts.
The big picture: Both Gray and Duarte sought to push bipartisan credentials, with each featuring a number of surrogates of the other party.
- Gray ran seemingly endless advertisements with elected Republican Sheriffs and Districts Attorney praising his ability to deliver resources to the north Valley and work across the aisle in the Legislature.
- Ultimately, Gray prevailed in an even closer rematch, earning 50.04 percent of the vote – or 105,554 votes to Duarte’s 105,367.
What he’s saying: Gray claimed victory after the four counties – San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, and Fresno – turned in their final numbers ahead of a Wednesday certification deadline with a simple call-to-action: “Let’s get to work.”
- “I’m honored to become the Congressman-Elect for California’s 13th Congressional District. The final results confirm this district is ready for independent and accountable leadership that always puts the Valley’s people ahead of partisan politics
