For the first time since Election night, Democrat Adam Gray has eclipsed incumbent Congressman John Duarte and could take the 13th Congressional District race by a whisker as counting winds down across the five Central Valley counties.
According to the California Secretary of State’s office, Gray has a 182-vote lead over Duarte but things will not be settled until all votes have been counted. The last vote tally from Nov. 27 shows Gray has 104,503 votes to Duarte’s 104,321 votes, which breaks down to a perfect 50.0 percent to 50.0 percent breakdown.
The Election office released updated results on Tuesday and will not update until Tuesday, Dec. 3.
Stanislaus County Clerk Recorder and Registrar of Voters Donna Linder said her staff is still processing 196 conditional ballots. Some of those ballots could be invalidated.
The offices are also in the process of performing a hand tally of one percent of the vote in an effort to determine the accuracy of the automated count.
Because of Assembly Bill 3184 signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September, California counties are prohibited from certifying prior to Dec. 3.
Linder’s office will contact voters whose ballots are being challenged and advise them of corrective action they can take. The most common problem is that a voter didn’t sign the outside of the ballot envelope or the signature appears to be different than the one filed at the time the voter registered to vote. Voters who have been contacted have until Dec. 1, to come into the office to sign or submit an “Unsigned Ballot Envelope Statement / Signature Verification Statement” or to return the same.
The elections office will be closed Thanksgiving through Dec. 1.
The canvass will re-commence on Monday Dec. 2.
Duplication of damaged ballots will continue through canvas.
Duarte proved strongest in Madera County and Fresno County but losing in his home turf of Stanislaus County. The incumbent congressman was ahead in Madera County by 4,775 votes as of Monday — 57.12% to 42.88% — and Fresno County by 2,418 votes, with 56.15 percent of the vote to Gray’s 43.85 percent.
In Stanislaus County, which is Duarte’s home turf, Gray has a 3,9810-vote lead — 53.33 percent to 46.67 percent.
Ever since 2022, when Duarte’s victory contributed to the Republicans’ slim House majority, the 13th has been a target by both parties, which contributed millions to bolster their candidate.
As it now stands, the GOP will control the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
Local races
Mayor Javier Lopez, Councilwoman-elect Cerina Otero and an unopposed Councilman Daniel Martinez have won their races and will be sworn into office next month.
In the updated count released Thursday by the Stanislaus County Elections Division, Lopez led Gary M. Condit by 591 votes in the Ceres mayor’s race. Lopez received 6,173 votes (44.12 percent) to Gary M. Condit’s 5,494 votes (39.29 percent). Trailing in last place is Ceres City Councilwoman Rosalinda Vierra with 2,321 votes (16.59 percent).
In the Ceres City Council District 3 race, Councilman Bret Silveira was defeated in his re-election bid. Cerina Otero, a member of the Ceres Planning Commission, collected 2,224 votes (56.75 percent) to Silveira’s 1,695 (43.25 percent).
District 4 Councilman Daniel Martinez was also on the ballot but unopposed and collected 2,374 votes. His wife, City Treasurer Kayla Martinez also had no opponent and was re-elected to another four-year term with 11,581 votes.
On election night Condit held a 60-vote lead over Lopez in the Ceres mayor’s race but the direction of the election changed as the mail ballots continued to be counted.
The elections office reported 1,035 under votes in the mayor’s race, which means 1,035 voters chose not to mark the ballot. There were 17 over votes, meaning they voted for two candidates for mayor and both were tossed out. A total of 45 rejected write-in votes were cast.
Voter turnout in the mayor’s race was 62.86 percent. Specifically, out of 24,001 registered voters in the city of Ceres, 15,088 ballots were cast.
Hughson race
In the city of Hughson, Alan McFadon was a clear winner of one of two open City Council seats but things were much close between Susana Vasquez and Sam Rush for the other open City Council seat. Only eight votes separated the two.
In unofficial results, McFadon received 1,259 votes (28.13 percent) and Susana Vasquez has received 1,031 votes (23.04 percent), edging out Rush who received 1,014 votes (22.66 percent). Billy Gonzales collected 667 votes (14.91 percent) and Abel Moran came in last place with 504 votes (11.26 percent).
Alanis defeats Self
Republican state Assemblyman Juan Alanis of Modesto will continue representing the 22nd State Assembly District. Alanis defeated Democrat Jessica Self, by collecting 86,717 votes (56.2 percent) to Self’s 67,603 votes (43.8 percent).
The 22nd Assembly district includes Ceres, Keyes, Modesto, Turlock, Empire, Denair, Patterson, Gustine, Newman, Hilmar, Ballico, Snelling, Grayson, Crows Landing, Diablo Grande and Stevinson.
In the neighboring 9th Assembly District, Ripon Republican Heath Flora won re-election by defeating American Independent Party candidate Tami Nobriga, a retired advertising businesswoman and conservative Christian. Flora received 126,797 votes (70.1 percent) to Nobriga’s 53,955 votes (29.9 percent). Flora’s district includes eastern Stanislaus County including Hughson.
YCCD district
In Yosemite Community College District Trustee Area 7, which encompasses Ceres, incumbent board trustee Antonio Aguilar was victorious over challenger M. Geri Vargas of Ceres, a retired executive assistant. Aguilar picked up 14,420 votes (68.0 7 percent) to Vargas’ 6,764 votes (31.93 percent).
Statewide propositions
Voters in California voted to increase their taxes with the support of Proposition 2 which authorizes the state to borrow $8.5 billion for K-12 schools and $1.5 billion for community colleges for construction and modernization. The measure thus far has the support of 58.4 percent of voters.
Also approved were:
Prop. 3 which will remove outdated language from Proposition 8, passed by voters in 2008, that characterizes marriage as only between a man and a woman. It passes with 62.6 percent in favor.
Voters also approve Prop. 4, a bond issue would allow the state to borrow $3.8 billion for drinking water and groundwater programs, $1.5 billion for wildfire and forest programs and $1.2 billion for sea level rise. In part, the money would offset some budget cuts. Prop 4 has the support of 59.5 percent of voters.
Prop. 34 – Require certain providers to use prescription drug revenue for patients. Sponsored by the trade group for California’s landlords, this measure is squarely aimed at knee-capping the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has been active in funding ballot measures. It had 50.7 percent support.
Prop. 35 – This initiative is sponsored by California’s health care industry to raise more money for Medi-Cal and block lawmakers from using the cash to avoid cuts to other programs. The tax is set to expire in 2026. Prop 35 has 67.8 percent support.
Prop. 36 – This measure — supported by Republicans and law enforcement but opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and most Democrats — will partly roll back Proposition 47, approved by voters in 2014, that turned some felonies into misdemeanors. The measure is in response to an increase in retail theft since Prop. 47 was passed in 2014. This measure had 68.6 percent approval.
Voters rejected Prop 5 – A constitutional amendment that would have made it easier for local governments to borrow money for affordable housing and some other public infrastructure projects by lowering the voter approval requirement from two-thirds to 55%. Right now, 55.3 percent opposed Prop 5.
Californians also were against Prop. 6 as a constitutional amendment that would end forced labor in state prisons. It was defeated with only 46.6 percent support.
Also defeated was Prop 32 to raise the overall minimum wage from $16 an hour and adjust it for inflation. It failed with 50.9 opposed.
Prop 33, the government rent control measure was also defeated with only 39.7 percent approval.
