Political Breakdown
Congressman Adam Gray Defends One of California’s Last Swing Districts After Redistricting
A moderate Democratic Congressman who won his seat by a razor-thin margin has a theory of how his party can win in a swing district.
Congressman Adam Gray speaks with KQED politics correspondent Marisa Lagos for Political Breakdown at his campaign headquarters in Merced on Oct. 8, 2026. (Izzy Bloom/KQED)
Democratic Congressman Adam Gray won his seat two years ago by just 187 votes. After last year’s partisan redistricting war, the 13th Congressional District is slightly more favorable to him, but Gray is still considered to be in a tough fight to hold on to his seat. He faces former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln II. Marisa sits down with Gray at his campaign office in Merced to discuss why the moderate Democrat thinks both parties need to turn down the temperature.
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