Democrat Adam Gray captured California's 13th Congressional District on Tuesday, unseating Republican Rep. John Duarte, sealing the final U.S. House election in 2024.
The tally was finalized 26 days after the vote.
Gray, a former state representative, won by less than 200 votes, and election officials reported all votes have been counted in CA-13, the Central Valley district (Associated Press) report.
The paper notes that Mr. Duarte won the seat in 2022, defeating Mr. Gray by a margin of 564 votes, the narrowest margin in the country.
The results are coming in areas where Democrats tend to be more moderate and prioritize local issues like water.
Democrats have been slowly making headway in the Central Valley thanks to migration to more affordable communities far from blue cities.
The defecting Republicans were often listed as among the most vulnerable House Republicans, given their narrow wins in Democratic-leaning districts (about 11 points over registered Republicans).
“We always knew this race would be extremely close, and we look forward to another photo finish this year,” Gray said in a statement.
Duarte said: turlock journal He called Gray to concede, adding, “It is 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.
