By admin 
Incumbent Adam Gray will face former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln II in the race to represent California’s 13th Congressional District.
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The race is one of the few that remains competitive after redistricting under Proposition 50 took place earlier this year. Gray, a Democrat, took the lead in the June primary with roughly 42% of the vote, while the Republican vote was split between Lincoln and entrepreneur Vin Kruttiventi, who earned approximately 28 and 15 percent, respectively.
Despite its current of about 14 percentage points, California’s 13th District would have voted for Kamala Harris over Donald Trump by just half a percentage point in the 2024 presidential election. Nonpartisan analysts at Inside Elections reported in December that the district “tilts Democratic.”
Where is the district?
California’s 13th Congressional District is located in the heart of the Central Valley, encompassing parts of Patterson, Modesto, Turlock, Atwater, Merced, Madera, Los Banos and Firebaugh. After Prop. 50 took effect, the district’s boundaries stretched farther north to cover French Camp and Stockton.
The district is 67% Hispanic and Latino, 20% white, and less than 10% Black and Asian, according to 2024 census data. The median income in the region is $68,434, and nearly 20% of residents live below the poverty line — over 1.5 times the state and national average.
Who are the candidates?
Gray, a Merced native, has represented California’s 13th District in Congress since 2024. Prior to his stint in national office, Gray served as a member of the California Assembly for Merced and parts of Stanislaus County for 10 years.
In the Assembly, Gray founded the bipartisan California Problem Solvers Caucus, helped secure funding for a medical school at University of California, Merced and worked to improve water access for farmers.
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Gray, 48, is currently a member of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees and is the whip of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and conservative Democrats. He recently backed amendments to a bipartisan Farm Bill that will strengthen economic protections for agricultural businesses in the San Joaquin Valley.
Prior to his career in politics, Gray was a small business owner and assistant lecturer at UC Merced.
Gray’s campaign website states that his agenda “is simple: lower the cost of food, housing, and utilities, secure more reliable water for Valley families and farms, cut the red tape that keeps infrastructure projects stuck on the drawing board, strengthen public safety and build an economy where families don’t have to choose between paying for healthcare and paying their rent.”
Lincoln, a Marine Corps veteran and third-generation Stocktonian, says he aims to “put people before politics.” After his service as a Marine, Lincoln worked in private security in Silicon Valley. He then spent seven years as a pastor at LifeSong church, a local ministry, before serving as mayor of Stockton from 2021-24.
Lincoln, 45, initially challenged U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, D-Tracy, in the 9th District but switched his race following the passage of Prop. 50. His campaign website emphasizes a “people over politics” approach, promising to “keep the woke DEI agenda out of the valley,” lower taxes and ensure stricter border security.
“When I served as mayor, we put partisanship aside and worked to address the city’s needs, allowing it to thrive: thousands of new businesses and jobs, balanced budgets, and reductions in both violent crime and homelessness,” the website reads. “It’s time to show Washington, D.C., how real change gets done.”
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