Democrats claimed the final congressional seat in the 2024 election cycle Tuesday as Merced Democrat Adam Gray ousted Republican incumbent Rep. John Duarte in a photo-finish race in California’s Central Valley.
California’s 13th Congressional District was the final outstanding race for the U.S. House of Representatives, and had the closest margin in the country. Gray was ahead by 187 votes when Duarte conceded Tuesday evening.
After trailing in the first three weeks of vote-counting, Gray took the lead on Nov. 26 as mail ballots tilted in his favor.
Gray, 47, said in a prepared statement Tuesday that he was honored to be elected and thanked the volunteers, voters, donors, campaign staff and family members who had helped him win.
“This district is ready for independent and accountable leadership that always puts the Valley’s people ahead of partisan politics,” Gray said.
Gray said he would work to build bipartisan relationships and deliver “clean water, better educational opportunities, stronger infrastructure and more good-paying jobs.”
Duarte conceded Tuesday night, a campaign spokesman said.
“That’s how it goes,” Duarte told the Turlock Journal on Tuesday. “I’m a citizen legislator, and I didn’t plan on being in Congress forever. But whenever I think I can make a difference, I’ll consider public service in different forms, including running for Congress again.”
Republicans will retain a thin majority in the House of Representatives next year. With Gray’s victory, Republicans will hold 220 seats — barely above the 218-seat threshold needed to control the chamber — and Democrats will hold 215.
The GOP will have an even narrower majority for parts of January. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) resigned from the House last month, and two other House Republicans, Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Michael Waltz of Florida, are expected to step down if they are confirmed as United Nations ambassador and White House national security advisor, respectively.
The 13th Congressional District was one of a half-dozen seats in California seen as pivotal in the fight for control of Congress, and was one of three in the state that Democrats flipped from Republican control.
In Orange County, Democrat Derek Tran ousted Republican Rep. Michelle Steel, and in northern Los Angeles County, Democrat George Whitesides beat Republican Rep. Mike Garcia. Democrats also held onto a seat being vacated by Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine), with state Sen. Dave Min beating Republican Scott Baugh.
Republicans fared better in the Central Valley’s other swing district, where Rep. David Valadao defeated Democrat Rudy Salas by almost 7 points. Salas on Tuesday filed to run for Congress again in 2026.
The GOP also held a seat in Riverside County, where voters reelected longtime Republican Rep. Ken Calvert over Democrat Will Rollins, a former federal prosecutor.
The rural 13th Congressional District stretches from Coalinga to Modesto, encompassing Merced County and parts of Fresno, Madera, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.
The district appears blue on paper, with 42% of registered voters affiliated with the Democratic Party, compared with 29% registered as Republicans and 22% registered with no party preference.
But the Central Valley is more purple than the deep-blue districts that surround the Bay Area and Los Angeles, and conservative Democrats in the area often cross party lines to elect Republicans.
The 2024 campaign was a rematch of 2022, when Duarte beat Gray by 564 votes, the second-closest margin in the country.
This year, Duarte campaigned on lowering gas prices and the cost of living. Duarte, whose family owns a large farm in the San Joaquin Valley, pitched himself to voters as a moderate Republican, saying he had bucked his party on abortion and immigration, instead sticking to middle-of-the-road policy proposals.
Gray cast himself as a “radical centrist,” pointing to his decade in the state Assembly as proof that he could work across party lines. In August, he told The Times that he chose to run against Duarte again because he thought the incumbent and Republicans had accomplished little in Congress to help everyday Americans.
