Democrat Adam Gray declared victory over incumbent Rep. John Duarte in California’s 13th Congressional District early Tuesday evening.

Gray’s declaration comes while votes are still being tallied.

“I’m honored to become the Congressman-elect for California’s 13th Congressional District,” Gray said in a statement. “The final results confirm this district is ready for independent and accountable leadership that always puts the Valley’s people ahead of partisan politics.”

Gray vowed to prioritize key issues for the district, including clean water, education, infrastructure, and job creation. “You can count on me to build bipartisan relationships to accomplish these goals,” he added, expressing gratitude to his supporters and campaign team.

As of the latest update from Fresno County, Gray leads Duarte by 187 votes, with 105,554 votes to Duarte’s 105,367.

GV Wire left a message seeking comment with the voicemail of a Duarte campaign staff member, but it was not returned before the publication of this story.

Duarte won the seat two years ago over Gray in a similar down-to-the-wire, close-as-a-whisker race.

DCCC Chair Congratulates Gray

“Congratulations to Adam Gray – a no-nonsense Valley problem solver who’s ready to bring his track record of service and bipartisanship to the halls of Congress,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene said in a news release.

“Adam is a native son of the Valley – born and raised in Merced – so he understands firsthand the issues that families in his district care about most. The DCCC is proud to have played a role in flipping this seat, and we’re excited to welcome Adam to Congress to fight the good fight for his constituents and their needs.”

Congressional Makeup

If Gray’s lead holds up in the nation’s final undecided congressional race, it will give the Democrats 215 seats in the House of Representatives compared to 220 for the ruling Republicans.

The five counties in the district are Fresno, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin. They have until Thursday to certify their elections. California must certify its election by Dec. 13.