One of the last remaining House races to be decided in the 2022 cycle has finally been called, with Republican candidate John Duarte being declared the victor after an extremely close race.
The Associated Press called the race at 10:06 p.m. on Friday.
Duarte won California’s 13th Congressional District by only a few hundred votes, and his victory was made official after his Democrat rival, Adam Gray, conceded on Friday evening.
“After weeks of incredibly hard work by our election workers, the result has become clear,” the Democrat wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “While I had hoped for a different outcome, I accept the results and have called to congratulate my opponent, John Duarte.”
There is no better place to grow up than in the Valley. It has been the greatest honor of my life to represent our community in the State Legislature. Whether elected or not, I will never stop fighting for the Valley. pic.twitter.com/xVQagl7MXx
— Adam C. Gray (@AdamGrayCA) December 3, 2022
“This was one of the closest races in the country,” Gray noted. “More than 130,000 ballots were cast, and the outcome will be decided by just a few hundred votes.”
Thanks to Duarte’s victory, the House Republicans’ majority now sits at 222 seats — while Democrats control only 213 seats, according to CNN.
Just one race remains to be decided — Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-CO) reelection bid. Despite declaring victory following the latest tally showing her leading by just over 500 votes, Boebert’s narrow lead was close enough to trigger a mandatory recount per Colorado law.
Duarte, a farmer and businessman, will take office in January — representing a district in California’s Central Valley. According to his campaign website, the Republican candidate pledged to “fight the high cost of living,” “protect our Valley water and farms,” and “fight for safer communities.”
In many of his ads, he talked about the importance of sending “a Farmer to Congress.”
My name is John Duarte. I am a Farmer and Businessman in the Valley. I think it’s time we send a Farmer to Congress.#CA13 #DuarteForCongress pic.twitter.com/3rOpGCsloL
— John Duarte (@Duarte4Congress) April 18, 2022
Duarte’s victory is an upset for this district, which hasn’t elected a Republican since 1974. According to The Hill, Democrat voters in the 13th District “outnumber Republicans 42 percent to 24 percent, with more than 21 percent identifying with no party preference.”
Meanwhile, California actually lost one seat in the House of Representatives thanks to the 2020 census and the process of redistricting that followed. According to CNN, Republicans will now hold 12 seats in the deep blue state, which is one more than the current session, while Democrats will hold 40 seats in the state. California’s 13th District is currently represented by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), who was forced to run in the 12th District in the midterms due to the state’s redistricting.
