Former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln Challenges Rep. Adam Gray in Closely Watched District 13 Race

Voters in California's 13th Congressional District will choose between two veteran politicians on Nov. 3, when Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Gray faces Republican Kevin Lincoln, the former mayor of Stockton. The two agree that affordability is the central issue, but they offer sharply different remedies.

Lincoln is a household name in Stockton after years in local politics, while Gray, a former state assemblymember, may be less familiar to many residents even though his district now takes in downtown Stockton. Gray won the seat two years ago by one of the narrowest margins possible, defeating Republican Rep. John Duarte by 187 votes out of 210,921 ballots cast.

Lincoln, a former Marine, ran unsuccessfully in 2024 against Rep. Josh Harder in the 9th District, which covers most of Stockton. He first planned a rematch with Harder, but switched districts after boundaries were redrawn under Proposition 50.

As redrawn, District 13 covers the heart of the San Joaquin Valley's agricultural region and runs south along Interstate 5 to roughly the Coalinga area, skirting Fresno. Before redistricting, state records from 2023 showed 42.3% of voters registered as Democrats and 28.5% as Republicans. Gray also leads in fundraising: as of June 30, the latest Federal Election Commission figures show he had $4.2 million in contributions and loans, compared with Lincoln's $2.2 million.

Lincoln has the strong backing of President Donald Trump, who wrote on Truth Social in December that Lincoln has his "Complete and Total Endorsement." Lincoln said at the time he was "honored and thankful" and still promotes the endorsement on his campaign website. The endorsement helped him in the primary, but Democrats are betting that high gas prices and aggressive immigration raids will hurt candidates carrying the president's approval.

Lincoln has also recorded a "MAGA Majority" video for the National Republican Congressional Committee, highlighting his time as Stockton mayor, his service as a Marine who protected the president, and his work as a pastor. According to his LinkedIn profile, he served in the Marine Corps' White House Military Office and guarded the presidential helicopter Marine One from 2001 to 2005, and he was executive pastor at Stockton's LifeSong Ministries through 2020.

Lincoln says his priority is to "restore the American dream" by making home ownership more affordable, and he accuses Gray of repeatedly voting to raise taxes. At a September rally, he said he wants to lower the cost of gas, food and utilities, create jobs, cut taxes and expand access to healthcare. He also said he "knows how to grind, knows how to fight and how to win a tough election."

Gray, a Merced native, has called Trump's deportation policies "irresponsible, reckless, dangerous," but he is careful about party labels. "What voters want here is an independent voice, not a Democratic voice, not a Republican voice," he told the Sacramento Bee. He serves as a whip for the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate lawmakers seeking common ground across party lines.

On affordability, Gray says he worked to reverse Republican Medicaid cuts, tried to limit Trump's ability to impose tariffs without congressional approval, and introduced a measure to reduce regulations around thermal energy. He can also point to soaring gasoline and diesel prices since the start of the war with Iran. Lincoln counters that Gray "increased the gas tax over 113% a gallon" while serving in the California Legislature.