Republican Congressman Holds Seat in Tight California Election 

Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.) held off Democrat challenger Adam Gray on Nov. 5 to represent California’s 13th District. Approximately 3,200 votes separated the two candidates, according to unofficial results on Wednesday morning. The contest was a rematch of a tight race between Duarte and Gray two years ago.

Duarte thanked supporters and said he plans to focus on fixing the economy and lowering energy prices.

“The cost of living is affecting families in the district and across the nation,” the congressman told The Epoch Times.

He said constituents are concerned about inflation and the price of energy, food, and housing.

“We need to get water for farms and drill American oil,” Duarte said.

When Duarte and Gray squared off in 2022, fewer than 600 votes separated them out of more than 133,000 cast in what proved to be the second closest congressional race in the nation.

“We knew it was going to be a tight district,” Duarte said.

As ballots were being counted, Gray held a lead of about 1,500 votes before the last batch of updates favored Duarte.

At his watch party in Turlock, Duarte remained confident as the results trickled in. He chatted with supporters and cheered the success of President-elect Donald Trump.

The incumbent’s victory in 2022 flipped the seat from blue to red for the first time since 1974.

In this year’s primary, the Republican beat the Democrat by nearly 10 percent.  

Representing an agricultural region in the middle of the state—encompassing Merced County and parts of Fresno, Madera, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties—the district has a population that is approximately 66 percent Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

About 51 percent of residents are male to 49 percent female, with an average age of nearly 32 districtwide. Approximately 22,000 are military veterans, according to Census statistics. 

Across the district, voter registration is 41 percent Democrats, 30 percent Republicans, and about 22 percent independents.

A first-time U.S. representative in 2023, Duarte is a fourth-generation farmer and owner of a plant nursery in the area.

The congressman is supported by the National Federation of Independent Business, the Central Valley Leadership Round Table, and the Peace Officers Research Association of California, among other supporters. 

Gray outspent Duarte by about $1.5 million, shelling out about $4.7 million compared to the Republican’s approximately $3.2 million, as of Oct. 16, according to the Federal Election Commission. 

Born and raised in Merced, California, Gray served as a state assemblyman for 10 years starting in 2012 and also worked for years in his family-owned dairy and feed store. 

He was backed by groups including Reproductive Freedom for All, Equality California, and the California Labor Federation, among others.

Gray did not respond to requests for comment before publication time.

He has not released a statement or posted on social media since the results came in. 

Of the state’s 52 congressional districts, Democrats held 40 of the seats coming into the election.

Republicans held at least two of the districts this year, including another toss-up race in the Central Valley, as Rep. David Valadao bested his challenger.

Some races are too close to call, as of early Nov. 6.

California’s secretary of state has up to 30 days to certify the election results—with official tallies expected in the coming weeks.