{"id":2342056,"date":"2024-09-16T19:25:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T23:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-look-to-flip-toss-up-california-district-in-bid-for-house-control-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-16T19:28:26","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T23:28:26","slug":"democrats-look-to-flip-toss-up-california-district-in-bid-for-house-control-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-look-to-flip-toss-up-california-district-in-bid-for-house-control-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats look to flip \u2018toss-up\u2019 California district in bid for House control &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-look-to-flip-toss-up-california-district-in-bid-for-house-control-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2342056&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A \u2062competitive \u2062congressional\u200b race \u2062is unfolding in California&#8217;s 13th District, \u200bwhere Democrats are aiming \u2063to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/campaign-2024-an-early-look-at-the-possible-republican-contenders\/\" title=\"Campaign 2024: An Early Look At The Possible Republican Contenders\">regain control<\/a> of \u2062the House. Former Democratic \u2063Assemblyman Adam\u200d Gray\u200c is challenging incumbent \u200cRep. John Duarte (R-CA), who won their previous matchup by a \u200bnarrow margin\u200b of less than 600 votes. Analysts \u200dsuggest Gray has a viable \u2062opportunity\u200b to unseat Duarte, especially\u200c since he is a first-term\u2062 congressman facing political vulnerabilities. <\/p>\n<p>Political experts note \u200dthat Duarte&#8217;s association\u200d with the national Republican Party could discourage voters, as he has not yet established a distinct identity separate from mainstream Republican \u2062views. This race is considered pivotal for both parties, with the\u2062 Republicans currently holding a slim four-seat \u200bmajority in the \u200bHouse. <\/p>\n<p>As \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/infighting-democrats-fuming-over-midterm-strategy\/\" title=\"Infighting: Democrats Fuming over Midterm Strategy\">election day approaches<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-fires-back-at-trump-says-it-has-every-right-to-use-his-name\/\" title=\"RNC Fires Back at Trump, Says It Has \u2018Every Right\u2019 to Use His Name\">fundraising efforts<\/a> \u200bare intensifying\u200d for\u200d the GOP, which is aiming\u2064 to expand its seat count. However, heightened Democratic\u200b fundraising\u2064 activities, fueled by Vice President Kamala\u2062 Harris\u2019s candidacy, \u200dsuggest that the battle for House control may be more competitive than\u2064 anticipated. Political\u2063 observers are classifying the race between Duarte and Gray as a toss-up, reflecting the district&#8217;s mixed political alignment and its\u200d previous support for President Joe Biden.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Democrats look to flip &lsquo;toss-up&rsquo; California district in bid for House control<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1758673\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A competitive congressional race in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>California<\/a> could be key to helping Democrats regain control of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-of-representatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>House<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Several nonpartisan political analysts indicated former Democratic Assemblyman Adam Gray has a fighting chance to unseat Rep. John Duarte (R-CA) during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/news\/politics-government\/election\/voter-guide\/article292308744.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>interviews<\/a> with the <em>Sacramento Bee<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The pair faced off for the first time two years ago, with Duarte ultimately winning California&rsquo;s 13th Congressional District race by under 600 votes. While Duarte&rsquo;s narrow margin of victory indicates he&rsquo;s particularly vulnerable to this year&rsquo;s rematch with Gray, political pundits view his status as a first-term congressman as an additional hurdle the Republican will have to overcome.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gray at the Capitol in Sacramento, California, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. AP Photo\/Rich Pedroncelli)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Anything that&rsquo;s good for Democrats is going to have an outsized effect on Duarte simply because he&rsquo;s the less-tested candidate,&rdquo; Jacob Rubashkin, a deputy editor of Inside Elections, said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Erin Covey, a House analyst and editor at the<em> Cook Political Report<\/em>, added that Duarte &ldquo;can also be more easily roped into the national Republican Party because he hasn&rsquo;t had as much time to show voters that he&rsquo;s not like other Republicans.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Republicans hold a four-seat advantage in the lower chamber as they fight to expand their slim majority this November. Last month, the National Republican Congressional Committee, which serves as the House GOP&rsquo;s campaign arm, urged members to focus on defensive fundraising efforts to ward off Democratic challengers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The NRCC earlier this year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrcc.org\/2024\/07\/12\/nrcc-posts-record-shattering-second-quarter-fundraising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>touted<\/a> &ldquo;the Committee&rsquo;s best month of June in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-who-has-not-ruled-out-packing-supreme-court-tells-conference-an-independent-judiciary-is-critical-to-a-healthy-democracy\/\" title=\"Kamala, Who Has Not Ruled Out Packing Supreme Court, Tells Conference: \u2018An Independent Judiciary Is Critical To A Healthy Democracy\u2019\">presidential election year<\/a>.&rdquo; However, the GOP&rsquo;s celebration came before Vice President Kamala Harris ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket. She fueled record fundraising numbers for her party, signaling that expanding the Republican footprint in the House could be a tighter battle than previously anticipated.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We ultimately believe the most likely outcome is a single-digit gain for either party,&rdquo; the <em>Cook Political Report&rsquo;s<\/em> Erin Covey <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cookpolitical.com\/analysis\/house\/house-overview\/house-ratings-changes-several-races-move-democrats-favor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>wrote<\/a> in a Sept. 5 reflection on whether House Republicans or Democrats would claim the victory this November.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.insideelections.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> Inside Elections<\/a> noted basically the same message in a report that found Republicans are &ldquo;still slight favorites to hold the House&rdquo; but estimated the range of outcomes is a mere &ldquo;Democratic gain of five seats to a Republican gain of five seats.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Pundits rate California&rsquo;s race between Duarte and Gray as a toss-up. The pair hail from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/news\/equity-lab\/representation\/article291024875.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Latino-majority<\/a> voting-age district in the politically purple San Joaquin Valley.&nbsp;The district also went to President Joe Biden in 2020 with 54% of the vote.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Duarte arrives at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Duarte earned a critical endorsement from the Central Valley Leadership Round Table last December, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.johnduarteforcongress.com\/news\/madera-county-district-attorney-sally-morenoendorses-john-duarte-for-congressnbsp-x7pc6-zd468-z6jag-w69rc-m2sc4-hkjpx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>touting himself<\/a> as &ldquo;the first Republican to have been endorsed&rdquo; by the coalition of Latino leaders.<\/p>\n<p>Mike Lynch, a longtime Democratic strategist and former chief of staff to Gray, said the race would come down to a &ldquo;coin-toss difference.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In this particular election, the factors are beyond anybody&rsquo;s control,&rdquo; he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notus.org\/2024-election\/republican-election-local-issues-major-test-john-duarte-adam-gray\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>told<\/a> <em>NOTUS<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The GOP still hopes to pull off another victory in the Golden State&rsquo;s San Joaquin Valley. Two years ago, the Right rejoiced when Duarte successfully won his race to become the first Republican to represent California&rsquo;s 13th District since 1975.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s send a farmer back to Congress to protect the American dream,&rdquo; Duarte said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Duarte4Congress\/status\/1823149541631091199\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>post<\/a> to X last month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1758673\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1758673\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats aim to win a closely contested California district as part of their strategy to regain control of the House. Political analysts suggest that former Democratic Assemblyman Adam Gray has a viable opportunity to defeat Rep. John Duarte (R-CA), following their previous matchup two years ago, where Duarte won California&#8217;s 13th Congressional District by fewer than 600 votes. This slim victory margin makes Duarte particularly susceptible in this year&#8217;s rematch, and experts believe his status as a first-term congressman adds another challenge for him. Jacob Rubashkin from Inside Elections noted that any positive developments for Democrats could significantly impact Duarte due to his relative inexperience. Erin Covey from the Cook Political Report pointed out that Duarte might be more easily associated with the national Republican Party since he hasn&#8217;t had much time to distinguish himself from other Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, Republicans hold a four-seat advantage in the House and are working to maintain their slim majority ahead of November elections. The National Republican Congressional Committee has encouraged its members to focus on defensive fundraising against Democratic challengers after reporting strong fundraising numbers earlier this year, which were bolstered by Vice President Kamala Harris leading the Democratic ticket.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts predict that either party may gain only single-digit seats in November, with reports indicating Republicans are still favored but with outcomes ranging from a five-seat gain for Democrats or Republicans alike. The race between Gray and Duarte is considered a toss-up within a Latino-majority district in San Joaquin Valley, which supported President Joe Biden with 54% of the vote in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Duarte received an important endorsement last December from the Central Valley Leadership Round Table, claiming he was &#8220;the first Republican&#8221; endorsed by this group of Latino leaders. Mike Lynch, a veteran Democratic strategist and former chief of staff for Gray, remarked that this election would hinge on unpredictable factors beyond anyone&#8217;s control. The GOP remains hopeful about securing another win in California\u2019s San Joaquin Valley after celebrating Duarte&#8217;s victory two years ago as he became the first Republican representative for California\u2019s 13th District since 1975<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2342057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Gray.-.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4045,3685,6571,39455,36443],"class_list":["post-2342056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-california","tag-democrats","tag-elections","tag-house-control","tag-toss-up-district"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Gray.-.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2342056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2342057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2342056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2342056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2342056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}