Adam Gray, a former state lawmaker, defeated Representative John Duarte, a Republican, in a reversal of their 2022 race.
Adam Gray, a Democratic former state lawmaker in California, defeated U.S. Representative John Duarte, the Republican incumbent, in a House contest finally decided on Tuesday, nearly a month after Election Day.
The contest in California’s vast agricultural heartland, the Central Valley, was the last House race to be determined, giving Democrats 215 seats compared with 220 for Republicans. Though Republicans won more than the 218 seats necessary to control the House, President-elect Trump wants two House members to serve in his administration, and a third, Matt Gaetz, resigned his seat this month.
Mr. Duarte conceded on Tuesday, according to Duane Dichiara, a campaign spokesman. The congressman trailed by 187 votes in a contest in which more than 210,000 were cast.
Mr. Gray declared victory on Tuesday evening, two days before counties in California were required to certify their results. The Associated Press had not yet called the race.
“The final results confirm this district is ready for independent and accountable leadership that always puts the Valley’s people ahead of partisan politics,” Mr. Gray said in a statement on X.
Mr. Gray’s win was a reversal of the 2022 race in the 13th Congressional District, when Mr. Duarte beat him by the second-smallest margin in any House race that year.
California notably takes longer to tabulate votes because elections officials are flooded with mail-in ballots that must be inspected and verified. The state gives county offices weeks to complete their tallies and reach out to voters whose ballots may lack a proper signature.
In the initial election night count, Mr. Duarte led by more than 3,000 votes. But Mr. Gray steadily chipped away at that lead in subsequent updates until he went ahead for the first time on Tuesday.
Both Mr. Duarte, an agricultural businessman, and Mr. Gray, who touts his early years working at his family’s dairy supply store, campaigned on their advocacy for the region’s farmers and their ability to be a bipartisan voice in Washington.
They also both called for investing in water infrastructure in the Central Valley and pledged to ensure that the region’s growers have access to water as the state plans for future droughts.
While Mr. Gray has emphasized endorsements from local law enforcement officials, Mr. Duarte told a local television station that he was a “pro-choice Republican” who supports women’s rights.
Though Democrats lost the House, they had eyed the seat as one of the most promising to flip in the country, and they helped Mr. Gray rake in millions of dollars to unseat Mr. Duarte. About 41 percent of voters in the district are registered Democrats, while about 29 percent are Republicans.
Mr. Gray had raised $5.4 million and Mr. Duarte $4.1 million, according to campaign finance filings through Oct. 16. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also spent $1.7 million on the race, records showed.
