On Tuesday, Democrat Adam Gray took control of California’s 13th Congressional District, defeating Republican John Duarte in the last U.S. House race to be decided in 2024.
Gray’s victory in the five-county Farm Belt seat means Republicans gained 220 House seats this election cycle, while Democrats held on to 215.
Mr. Gray won by less than 200 votes, and election officials reported Tuesday that all votes had been counted.
Mr. Duarte won the seat in 2022, defeating Mr. Gray by 564 votes, the narrowest margin in the country. He was often listed as one of the most vulnerable House Republicans, given his narrow victories in Democratic-leaning districts (about 11 points over registered Republicans).
“We always knew this race would be extremely close, and we look forward to a photo finish again this year,” Gray said in an earlier statement.
Mr. Duarte told the Turlock Journal that he called Mr. Gray to make concessions, adding, “That’s what it is.”
“I am a citizen councilor and did not intend to remain in Congress forever,” Duarte told the paper, but did not rule out the possibility of campaigning in the future.
In a tough year for Democrats nationally, the party won three Republican-held House seats in California.
Both Gray and Duarte emphasized their bipartisan credentials during their campaigns.
Gray, a former congressman, has been critical of the state’s water management, putting water and agriculture at the top of his list of issues. He also said he wants to see improvements in infrastructure, renewable energy and education.
Duarte, a businessman and major grape and almond farmer, said his priorities include controlling inflation and crime rates and ensuring farmers in the drought-prone state have sufficient water supplies.
The district, like other seats in the Central Valley, has a large Latino population, but the most likely voters statewide tend to be white, older, and wealthy homeowners. Working-class voters, including many Latinos, are less consistent in going to the polls.
