Some of the most closely watched congressional races are taking place in the Central Valley.

But one seat considered safe by Democrats appears in play as further north, the dust is still settling for a Republican seat.

Slightly more than 1,000 votes separate Republican challenger Michael Maher from incumbent Jim Costa (D-Fresno) for California’s 21st District, stretching from northern Visalia to Fresno.

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But even with 100% of precincts reporting, votes are still being tallied. North of Fresno, the battle between two farmers for control of California’s 13th District continues, still too close to call.

Democratic challenger Adam Gray trails the Republican incumbent John Duarte (R-Modesto) by only 3,200 votes — 48.6% to Duarte’s 51.4%.

Meanwhile, farther south, Republican incumbent David Valadao (R-Kings County) has pulled away from Democratic challenger Rudy Salas. Valadao holds a 10% lead or a nearly 10,000-vote differential.

Funding for Costa District Pales in Comparison to Valadao, Duarte Races

Costa has comfortably held the seat since 2004, when he handily defeated then-Republican challenger Brian Whelan. The closest Costa has ever come to losing was in 2014 when Republican Johnny Tacherra came within 1,300 votes of defeating him.

But since then, Costa has safely held the seat.

That sentiment can be demonstrated with the amount of election spending. Costa only spent $1.6 million on his race since January 2023, according to OpenSecrets.org. By comparison, Valadao spent $3.7 million on his race, and Duarte spent $3.2 million on his.

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Salas spent $5.1 million on his race, while Gray spent just under $4.6 million.

Maher spent $684,315 on his race.