Adam Gray

Adam Channing Gray (born September 23, 1977) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for California's 13th congressional district since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the California State Assembly from 2012 to 2022, representing the 21st district, which included all of Merced County and portions of Stanislaus County.

Gray is the whip of the Blue Dog Coalition. He lost his first bid for his congressional district in 2022 by a few hundred votes but won the seat in 2024 by a similar narrow margin. His district is located in the San Joaquin Valley, and includes all of Merced County and parts of Madera, Stanislaus, Fresno, and San Joaquin counties.

Early life and education

Adam Channing Gray was born on September 23, 1977, in Merced, California. He grew up working in his family's dairy supply and feed store, and went to Golden Valley High School in Merced where he graduated as part of the first class.

Gray went on to attend Merced College and then earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Early career

Following college, Gray worked in the district office of state assemblymember Dennis Cardoza and later served as a staffer for assemblymembers Herb Wesson, Fabian Núñez, and Jerome Horton. In 2015, he was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in connection with Calderon's federal corruption trial.

California State Assembly

Gray was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2012, receiving 58.2% of the vote. In the 2014 primary election, He received 95.3% of the vote and was reelected in 2016 with 66.8% of the vote and again in 2018 with 71.3% of the vote. In 2020, he received 59.6% of the vote.

He was on the Committee for Accountability and Administrative Review, the Agriculture Committee, the Revenue and Taxation Committee and the Select Committee on Health Care Access in Rural Communities. Gray was also a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management and chairman of the Governmental Organization Committee.

While in the state assembly, Gray founded the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus which worked across party lines to pass legislation.

U.S. House of Representatives Elections 2022

On January 18, 2022, Gray announced that he would be a candidate for California's 13th congressional district in the 2022 election for the United States House of Representatives. The 13th district is located in the Central Valley, and includes Merced County and parts of Madera, Stanislaus, Fresno, and San Joaquin counties. Gray advanced from the June primary and faced Republican pistachio farmer John Duarte in the November general election. He conceded the race on December 2, shortly after the race was called by the Associated Press. It was one of the last U.S. House races in the country to be decided; Gray lost by only 564 votes.

2024

In August 2023, Gray announced his candidacy against Duarte again in the 2024 election.

In August 2024, the Los Angeles Times reported that Gray bought real estate shortly before a $50 million state-funded redevelopment of 70 acres of the former Castle Air Force Base. Gray had disclosed the investments to state officials, but not on his federal disclosure forms after 2022. A former state ethics official noted that the timing of Gray's investment could raise concerns about the appearance of a conflict of interest. Gray's campaign manager denied any impropriety.

Following weeks of counting, Gray eventually took the lead over Duarte on November 26, by a margin of 182 votes, with the race being called on December 4. It was the last congressional race to be called in the 2024 election.

Tenure Gray took office on January 3, 2025, representing California's 13th congressional district. He was appointed to the House Committees on Agriculture and Natural Resources and was named whip of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition.

As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, Gray co-sponsored two bipartisan bills to expand federal support for groundwater storage and recharge efforts in California. He later introduced legislation to establish a standardized rapid response system for wildfires.

Gray was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act of 2025.

Gray opposed the 2026 Iran war, and voted for a June 2026 war powers resolution intended to limit it.

In June 2026, Gray and Tom Suozzi launched a pro-capitalist, anti-socialist initiative, Promise to America, in response to three candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America winning Democratic primary elections.

Committee assignments

For the 119th Congress:

Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development Subcommittee Forestry and Horticulture Subcommittee Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry (Vice Ranking Member) Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Water, Wildlife and Fisheries

Caucus memberships Gray's caucus memberships include:

Blue Dog Coalition (whip)

26,015 95.29 1st 34,931 53.39 1st

Hold

43,874 66.82 1st 85,990 69.79 1st

Hold

43,023 99.89 1st 74,320 71.34 1st

Hold

54,987 99.00 1st 93,816 59.63 1st

Hold

23,784 31.13 2nd 66,496 49.79 2nd

Win

38,754 45.08 2nd 105,554 50.04 1st

Gain

41,086 41.97 1st