Midterm results have been slow in several states this year. Nearly a month after election day, the California House race has been decided. The vote went to the Republicans after a close call with the Democrats, followed by only a few hundred votes. Republican John Duarte won against Democratic rival Adam Gray for California’s 13th Congressional District.
Adam Gray conceded on Friday, saying the result has finally become clear. Gray said, “while I had hoped for a different outcome, I accept the results and have called to congratulate my opponent, John Duarte.” The outcome was decided by a mere few hundred votes out of the 130,000 ballots cast.
There is no better place to grow up than in the Valley. It has been the greatest honor of my life to represent our community in the State Legislature. Whether elected or not, I will never stop fighting for the Valley. pic.twitter.com/xVQagl7MXx
— Adam C. Gray (@AdamGrayCA) December 3, 2022
Duarte has been a businessman for most of his career. He will represent the 13th district in the Central Valley. He campaigned on fighting the high cost of living in the neighborhood and protecting the valley water and farms. Further, he hopes to bring safer communities to the district.
California suffered a loss of one seat in the House after redistricting. California Republicans are set to hold 12 seats, and California Democrats will have 40 seats. Currently, the 13th district is held by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), but she will represent the 12th district in the upcoming term.
According to CNN, House Republicans are expected to hold a narrow majority. With Duarte’s win, Republicans have 222 seats compared to the 213 seats held by Democrats. Colorado District three is still in the air as the votes were close enough to call for a recount.
The number of seats held by Republicans and Democrats will be crucial for the outcome of the House Speaker contest. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is hoping to obtain the role, but he doesn’t have at least 218 votes as it stands now. Many Republicans have publicly opposed McCarthy for leader and are hoping for a challenger to come forward for the speakership. Some have said they will not come forward to run in the race until it has become more apparent that McCarthy has lost.
