Two former Stockton officials face off Nov. 3 for a House seat decided by 187 votes

Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Gray and Republican Kevin Lincoln, a former Stockton mayor, are competing for California's 13th Congressional District on Nov. 3. The two candidates agree that household costs are what voters care about most, and they disagree on how to address them.

Gray won the seat two years ago by 187 votes out of 210,921 ballots cast, beating Republican Rep. John Duarte. Gray is a former state assemblymember from Merced. Lincoln is a former Marine who ran in 2024 against Rep. Josh Harder in the 9th District, which covers most of Stockton. He planned to face Harder again but shifted to District 13 after boundaries were redrawn under Proposition 50.

District 13 runs through the agricultural core of the San Joaquin Valley and extends south along Interstate 5 toward the Coalinga area, passing near Fresno. State registration figures from 2023, before redistricting, showed 42.3% of voters registered as Democrats and 28.5% as Republicans. Federal Election Commission figures as of June 30 show Gray with $4.2 million in contributions and loans, against $2.2 million for Lincoln.

President Donald Trump endorsed Lincoln in a December post on Truth Social, calling it his "Complete and Total Endorsement." Lincoln said at the time he was "honored and thankful" and continues to promote the endorsement on his campaign site. He recorded a "MAGA Majority" video for the National Republican Congressional Committee about his time as Stockton mayor, his Marine Corps service, and his work as a pastor. His LinkedIn profile states he served in the Marine Corps' White House Military Office and guarded the presidential helicopter Marine One from 2001 to 2005, and that he was executive pastor at Stockton's LifeSong Ministries through 2020.

Lincoln said he wants to lower the cost of gas, food, and utilities, create jobs, cut taxes, and expand access to healthcare. At a September rally, he said he "knows how to grind, knows how to fight and how to win a tough election." He has also accused Gray of voting repeatedly to raise taxes, saying Gray "increased the gas tax over 113% a gallon" during his time in the California Legislature.

Gray has called Trump's deportation policies "irresponsible, reckless, dangerous." He told the Sacramento Bee that "What voters want here is an independent voice, not a Democratic voice, not a Republican voice." Gray serves as a whip for the Blue Dog Coalition of moderate lawmakers. He said he worked to reverse Republican Medicaid limits, tried to restrict Trump's ability to impose tariffs without congressional approval, and introduced a measure to reduce regulations around thermal energy.

Voters in District 13 will cast ballots on Nov. 3.