Adam Gray

Adam Gray is the Democratic congressman representing California's 13th District, a Central Valley seat covering Merced County and parts of Madera, Stanislaus, Fresno, and San Joaquin counties. He won the district in 2024 by fewer than 200 votes — the closest House race in the country that cycle — after narrowly losing it two years earlier, and he now serves as Whip of the Blue Dog Coalition, the group of centrist House Democrats. He is running for re-election in 2026 on a message of putting the Valley first.

Born and raised in Merced, Gray grew up working in his family's dairy supply and feed store, an upbringing that shaped his focus on agriculture and water policy. He graduated from Golden Valley High School, attended Merced College, and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from UC Santa Barbara. Before running for office himself, he worked as a legislative staffer in the California Legislature.

Gray spent a decade in the California State Assembly representing Merced and Stanislaus counties, where he founded the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and helped secure funding for a new UC Merced medical school and billions of dollars in Central Valley water infrastructure. In Congress, he sits on the House Agriculture and Natural Resources committees, where he has pushed bipartisan legislation on water storage, farm policy, and veterans' health care — building a reputation as a pragmatic dealmaker in one of the nation's most competitive districts.

Adam Gray has fought to:

• Lower costs for Valley families by introducing the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act to reverse Medicaid cuts and extend ACA premium tax credits
• Rein in tariff-driven price increases by cosponsoring the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act
• Expand California's water storage and ease permitting delays through the Central Valley Water Solution Act and related water infrastructure bills
• Deliver wins for Valley farmers by helping pass the bipartisan Farm Bill and securing protections for specialty crop growers
• Address the Valley's physician shortage by introducing the Expanding Medical Education Act to fund new medical schools
• Support law enforcement by introducing the bipartisan Combatting Fentanyl Poisonings Act
• Protect veterans from erroneous VA copay debt through the STRIVE Act
• Reform the immigration system by joining a bipartisan group reintroducing the DIGNITY Act
• Limit unchecked military action by supporting a War Powers Resolution on Iran

Across these positions, Gray has staked out a consistently bipartisan, Valley-first approach — working with members of both parties on water, agriculture, and cost-of-living issues rather than following party lines.