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April 1 Len’s Political Note #716 Adam Gray California 13
2026 General Election
Adam Gray
At the end of the day today, we will know more about which way the tide is turning. In Florida, if the Republicans are held to less than 60% of the vote in the Florida 01 and Florida 06 special congressional elections, that will be a slight turn of the tide against Donald Trump and his Republican followers. If they are held to less than 55% of the vote, that will be a genuine turn of the tide against Donald Trump and his Republican followers. If one of those races is a Democratic win, that will promise a tsunami against Donald Trump and his Republican followers.
In Wisconsin, if Susan Crawford is elected to the state Supreme Court, we will know the tide has turned against Trump puppet master Elon Musk as well. Musk has been reported to be on his way to spending $100 million dollars to elect a Republican judge to achieve a Republican state Supreme Court majority. A Democratic win against that kind of money deserves considerable respect.
I have asked you to begin donating, perhaps monthly, for a few 2026 Democratic candidates:
Jon Ossoff Katie Hobbs. Kristin Mayes. Bryan Hembley
Georgia’s US Senator Jon Ossoff. The most vulnerable Democratic Senator
Arizona’s Governor Katie Hobbs. The most vulnerable Democratic Governor
Arizona’s Attorney General Kristin Mayes. The most vulnerable Democratic Attorney General.
Ohio’s Secretary of State challenger Bryan Hembley An unusually appealing candidate for an open Republican seat.
Today’s piece is the first of several about the most vulnerable Democratic Members of the House of Representatives. Am I recommending monthly donations for each of these candidates? That would be a lot to ask. Maybe every other month? In any case, a year and a half away from the election, help these candidates start their campaign strong and remember them throughout the campaign. They need your help now and later.
I have used a simple-minded measure of vulnerability. The smaller the margin in 2024, the more vulnerable the candidate is.
Adam Gray defeated the incumbent and flipped California 13 by 187 votes. John Duarte, who had defeated Adam Gray twice for his two terms in Congress, has announced he support the Republican mayor of the city of Ceres (who had not yet announced his candidacy) for California 13.
John Duarte may not be willing to go through the process of raising money again. In 2024, he was outraised by Adam Gray $6.3 million to $4.2 million. The previous election, 2022, was more modest financially – as Duarte and Gray each raised close to $2.4 million in a race Duarte won by 564 votes.
Merced, with a. population of about 93,000, is the big town of California 13. Adam Gray was born and raised there. He went to local schools, even attending Merced College before transferring to graduate from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
After college, Adam Gray decided against going into the family business — a dairy supply company. The family business was in the middle of an agriculture area. The largest businesses included a produce packaging company, a winery, a poultry farm, and, relevant for the Grays’ family business, a cheese company.
After graduation, Adam Gray headed for Sacramento instead of Merced. He worked as a staffer for assembly members and, later, a state senator. In 2012, Adam Gray went home to run for the state assembly himself. He won that election and subsequent ones getting a large proportion of the vote – ranging from a low of 59% to a high of 71%.
Adam Gray’s website makes two things clear. One is his interest in being a bipartisan representative. He founded in the assembly a bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus that resembled the occasionally effective Congressional group of the same name. His second interest was bringing resources home to the Merced area.
Unlike President Trump, who turned on California’s water at exactly the wrong time, Adam Gray worked to ensure that the agricultural area got the water and water storage that it needed. He called his opponents, including members of his own party, participants in a Great Water Grab. Addressing a shortage of doctors in California’s interior, he led in the creation of a new medical school under the joint jurisdiction of the University of California, Merced and the Fresno campus of the University of California San Francisco. Another major resource was funding for an extension of the ACE train to Modesto and Merced. Adam Gray would be happy to tell you about those accomplishments and more.
When Adam Gray ran for Congress, there were no scandals that John Duarte could embarrass him with. Earlier, Adam Gray was able to face down the possibility of scandal. While still working as a legislative staffer, he was interviewed in a corruption investigation. The state senator he worked for went to jail. Adam Gray was untouched.
There were scandals related to his wife’s relatives. Cadee Condit Gray’s Uncle Darrell was in and out of jail for most of his life. Her uncle Burl had some trouble with guns. A cop, he was found to have shot off his gun for fun. He reported the purchase of just one gun when he bought nine of them. The national story, though, had to do with her dad, Gary Condit. He was a six term Congressman, a conservative Democrat. He was accused, by columnist Dominick Dunne, of having had an affair with Bureau of Prisons intern Chandra Levy who had disappeared in 2001 and whose remains were found a year later.
The police said Condit was never suspected of wrongdoing, but his constituents suspected him of doing something. He was not reelected in 2002 and never returned to politics. His daughter became so cautious about publicity, some journalists, finding her to be nearly invisible, reported inaccurately she was no longer married to Adam Gray.
Adam Gray ran in 2024, expressing confidence that the increased turnout of a presidential year would carry him to victory. He said that his message of collaboration and of bringing home resources would win the election for him. The 2024 election was closer than the 2022 election – but Adam Gray won this time.
We have no idea, this early and with John Duarte out of the race, who Adam Gray’s opponent will be in 2026. We can expect the race will be close. DONATE. Help Adam Gray build a campaign and a war chest to ensure that he stays in Congress. We need him.
TODAY IS APRIL 1
Watch Wisconsin
State Supreme Court
Will Judge Susan Crawford win and keep Wisconsin’s Supreme Court Democratic? Will former Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel win, fueled by Elon Musk’s billions? Either way, she will need some money for the clean up. DONATE.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Will Jill Underly continue to serve as a bulwark against right wing culture war positions. She, too, will need to clean up after the election. DONATE.
Watch Florida
Florida 01: Can Gay Valimont make this election close? Or maybe even win? She raised $7 million while Florida Republicans were asleep at the switch. Whatever happens, she will need resources to clean up with. DONATE.
Florida 06: Can Josh Weil make this election close? Or even win? He raised $10 million while Florida Republicans raised so little they have begun attacking their own candidate. Whatever happens, Josh Weil will need resources to clean up with. DONATE
Watch New York. Not on April 1, though.
New York 21 cannot be scheduled until the incumbent, nominated to be Ambassador to the UN, resigns from Congress.
New York 21. Blake Gendebien has certainly not snuck up on anyone. For a month or two, it has been clear that he will be the nominee. Meanwhile, the Republicans have not selected anyone. Are they twiddling their thumbs or are they raising money? While we wait, DONATE to this non-politician farmer who appears to have some genuine political savvy.
Watch North Carolina
Supreme Court
Justice Allison Riggs
She won the election, but her opponent has been suing to invalidate some votes. She has had plenty of clean up after the election. This law suit is in the state Appeals Court and will probably decided in the state Supreme Court by the 5-1 Republican majority that exists because she cannot return to her Supreme Court position. DONATE. Help her persist.
