With just days until the 13th Congressional District’s Friday night debate at Modesto’s State Theatre, and a less than two weeks until the Nov. 5 election, Democrat Adam Gray now seems poised to make a strong run to the finish line after a massive fundraising haul in the third quarter.
Gray, a former five-term state Assemblyman from Merced, added nearly $2.3 million to his coffers over the months of July, August and September, while Rep. John Duarte (R-Modesto) raised about $830,000 — roughly a third of what his rival collected. But according to ProPublica.org, Duarte has $2 million in campaign funds and Gray and $1.8 million as their camps sprint toward the conclusion of one of the most competitive races in the nation.
“Big-money donors are trying to take me out so the Democratic Party can drive their agenda,” said Duarte. “If you dissect the numbers, you’ll see very little support is coming from the Central Valley.”
“I just think it demonstrates that this election is about change vs. more of the same,” said Gray. “I think voters are ready for change. And with that kind of money flowing in, it supports the fact that voters want change; they want a Congress that’s serious about doing work.”
Gray is hitting Duarte hard for being a member of the 118th Congress, a divisive assembly that has struggled to pass meaningful legislation, such as a farm bill, a border-security bill, and aid to Ukraine.
“First of all, we’ve stopped the inflationary hemorrhaging of money from when the government was under total Democrat control,” said Duarte. “Divided government runs slower, but we’ve passed bills to make it easier for veterans to get services, we passed the Supply Chain Improvement Act, which helps get groceries to grocers more economically, and we’ve delivered tens of millions of dollars to the smallest communities in the Valley, providing resources that these communities haven’t seen in decades.”
A political neophyte in 2022, Duarte the seat by just 564 votes, the second-closest margin of any House race that year. While some pollsters have categorized their 2024 rematch as a “toss-up” and suggest that Gray is leading, Duarte led in the March primary by 8,465 votes. The final vote count had Duarte collecting 47,219 votes (54.9 percent) to Gray’s 38,754 votes (45.1 percent).
Democrats have pushed abortion as a campaign issue even though the Supreme Court has ruled that individual states will decide for themselves. Gray suggests Duarte has waffled on the issue.
“As you know, I voted to amend the state constitution to solidify a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions,” said Gray. “It’s an incredibly important issue, and John Duarte is running a dishonest campaign. He’s saying he’s pro-choice, but he’s endorsed by Californians for Life, a pro-life group. He talks out of both sides of his mouth.”
Duarte sees it differently, saying “I am pro-choice; everyone knows that. I ran last time as a pro-choice candidate. I am the lowest-ranked Republican in the caucus by (conservative advocacy organization) Heritage Action. I was one of two Republicans to vote to protect reproductive rights. I’ve got a voting record on this and it’s very clear.”
With such razor-thin margins, Friday’s debate in Modesto could be make-or-break for both candidates. At the same time, some voters have already marked their ballots and sent them in.
“I think debates are important because it’s an opportunity for voters to hear directly from John and me,” said Gray. “I’m looking forward to litigating the case here, and the case is pretty simple: John Duarte is part of most unproductive Congress in history. He hasn’t been able to deliver any bipartisan work, and I have 10 years in the state legislature of doing just that. I helped pass 10 on-time, balanced budgets. Voters will have an opportunity to look at those records.”
Duarte sees the debate as important, especially since it’s being held so close to Election Day, but not as the be-all, end-all of the campaign.
“What’s important is that I have a strong track record delivering for the Valley on real issues, such as the price of gas and groceries,” said Duarte. “Sound bites won’t carry this election. I’ve developed relationships with leaders up and down the Valley who haven’t seen the kind of results I’ve delivered.”
The debate is sponsored by the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, the Maddy Institute, and UC Merced’s Center for Analytic Political Engagement. Seats for the event are no longer available, however, it will be broadcast live on CapRadio 91.3 FM (Stanislaus County).
– Editor Jeff Benziger contributed to this report.
