NEW: Democrat Overtakes GOP Congressman’s Lead Three Weeks Post-Election


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Three weeks after Election Day, California’s 13th Congressional District race has taken a dramatic turn, with Democrat Adam Gray now holding a razor-thin lead over Republican incumbent John Duarte. A recent update from Merced County tipped the scales, giving Gray a 105-vote advantage—equivalent to a 0.06% margin.

The contest has garnered national attention not just for its close results, but for the prolonged vote-counting process in California. Many are questioning the lengthy timeline.

CA-13, a diverse and politically competitive district, includes parts of Merced, Stanislaus, Madera, Fresno, and San Joaquin counties. Historically leaning blue, the district became a battleground over the past few cycles after redistricting shifted demographics and political allegiances.

With voter turnout at just over 60%, Gray’s late surge came as mail-in ballots continued to be counted—a routine yet controversial aspect of California’s election laws, which allow ballots postmarked by Election Day to be tallied if they arrive within seven days.

 

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With such a slim margin, the race is likely headed toward a recount.

Merced County Registrar of Voters Melvin Levey announced that all ballots in the county have now been processed. He explained, “So other than those ballots that are, that are eligible to be cured, you know, there will be no other updates. And I can tell you that we are still getting those care affidavits in. And so we’ll update the totals as needed. But, um, you know, but we are one step closer to having certified results, which we will have on Dec. 3.”

Levey noted that there are fewer than 1,500 challenged ballots in Merced County, primarily due to issues with voter signatures. He explained that state law gives voters until 5 p.m. on December 1 to resolve these issues, but the response depends on the voters themselves.

 

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He added, “The data that shows who is eligible to cure their ballot, that is publicly available. And so campaigns can request that data from us. So they’re also going out to folks to get them to cure that so that they can get their ballot counted.”

Gray currently holds the lead, but the results are not yet official. Levey said, “We’re pretty accustomed in California to, you know, taking several weeks to get certified results were definitely a custom here in the 13th congressional district the close races.” He acknowledged the frustration felt by voters due to the lengthy process but emphasized that compliance with state law is essential.

Gray has become the third Democratic challenger to unseat a House Republican incumbent since Election Day. In another notable race, George Whitesides won against Rep. Mike Garcia, flipping a GOP seat in the 27th Congressional District of northern Los Angeles County. Meanwhile, in Orange County, Democratic candidate Derek Tran has announced his victory after gaining an edge over Rep. Michelle Steel in the contest for the 45th Congressional District.

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