Though his district now includes downtown, many Stocktonians still may not know much about U.S. Rep. Adam Gray.
By contrast, his opponent in the Nov. 3 general election is virtually a household name after years in Stockton politics: former Mayor Kevin Lincoln.
The race for congressional District 13 pits the two veteran politicians, both of whom raise some of the same issues while offering widely different solutions.
Gray, a Democrat, barely squeaked by to unseat U.S. Rep. John Duarte, a Republican, two years ago by the narrowest of margins — 187 votes out of 210,921 ballots cast. He’s a former state assemblymember.
Meanwhile, Lincoln, a Republican and former Marine, ran unsuccessfully in 2024 against U.S. Rep. Josh Harder in the 9th District, which includes most of Stockton. Lincoln had initially planned a rematch against Harder, but after district lines were redrawn thanks to Proposition 50, he decided to change districts.
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As redrawn, District 13 encompasses the heart of the San Joaquin Valley’s agricultural bounty. It runs south down Interstate 5 to the area roughly around Coalinga, skirting Fresno. As of 2023, before redistricting, state records showed 42.3% of voters registered as Democrats and 28.5% were Republicans.
Besides a registration advantage, Gray also has raised more money. As of June 30, the most recent records from the Federal Election Commission, Gray had $4.2 million in contributions and loans compared to Lincoln’s $2.2 million.
Lincoln has the hearty endorsement of President Donald Trump. Trump’s backing gave Lincoln a boost in the primary, but Democrats are pinning their hopes that high gas prices and aggressive immigration raids will dampen the chances for any candidate who has a presidential seal of approval.
Lincoln still touts Trump’s endorsement on his campaign website.
“Kevin Lincoln has my Complete and Total Endorsement – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social, in December. In response at the time, Lincoln said he was “honored and thankful” for the president’s endorsement, adding, “I look forward to working with the President and his team.”
Lincoln also cut a “MAGA Majority” video for the National Republican Congressional Committee in which he talks about having served as Stockton mayor, a Marine who protected the president, and a pastor. According to his LinkedIn profile, Lincoln worked in the Marine Corps’ White House Military Office and was assigned to protecting the presidential helicopter Marine One from 2001 to 2005, during which time George W. Bush was in office. He also served as executive pastor at Stockton’s LifeSong Ministries through 2020, according to his online profile.
Lincoln said his priority is to “restore the American dream” by making home ownership more affordable. By contrast, he argues that Gray has voted repeatedly to raise taxes and make life more unaffordable.
Gray, for his part, characterized Trump’s immigrant deportation policies as “irresponsible, reckless, dangerous,” but he treads carefully when it comes to talking about party affiliation.
“What voters want here is an independent voice, not a Democratic voice, not a Republican voice,” he told the Sacramento Bee.
It’s in keeping with Gray’s steadfast effort to be labeled as a moderate. In Congress, the Merced native serves as a whip for the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate lawmakers who try to find common ground between partisans.
Both Gray and Lincoln are pushing the same issue in their campaigns: affordability. Gray says he worked to reverse Republican Medicaid cuts, attempted to rein in Trump’s ability to impose tariffs without approval of Congress and introduced a measure to cut regulations around thermal energy.
Lincoln, at a September rally, said his priority is to find ways to lower the cost of gas, food and utilities plus increase jobs and economic opportunities. He also said he wants to cut taxes and create more access to healthcare.
While Gray can point to how gasoline and diesel prices have soared under Trump since the start of the war with Iran, Lincoln is punching back by saying that Gray “increased the gas tax over 113% a gallon” when he was in the California Legislature.
Lincoln exudes confidence, saying at his rally that he “knows how to grind, knows how to fight and how to win a tough election.”