California Democrat Flips Seat In Last House Race To Be Called

In the final race of the 2024 House elections, a former Democratic state lawmaker achieved a significant victory, flipping a Republican-held seat in California’s Central Valley.

Democrat Adam Gray defeated incumbent Republican Representative John Duarte after nearly a month of vote counting, officially winning a tightly contested race in the 13th Congressional District. This result leaves Republicans with a narrow majority in the House, holding 220 seats compared to 215 for Democrats when the new Congress convenes.

Duane Dichiara, a spokesperson for Duarte's campaign, confirmed that the Republican conceded shortly before The Associated Press called the race. Duarte trailed by just 187 votes in a contest with over 210,000 ballots cast.

Gray, a former member of the California State Assembly, declared victory earlier on Tuesday, two days before California counties were required to certify their results.

“The final results confirm this district is ready for independent and accountable leadership that always puts the Valley’s people ahead of partisan politics,” Gray stated on X (formerly Twitter).

The outcome marked a reversal of Duarte’s narrow win in 2022. The contest had been among the closest in the nation, reflecting California’s extended timeline for vote counting and signature verification processes.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered significant updates following a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump last week.

During an appearance on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Johnson discussed Trump’s collaboration with congressional Republicans to celebrate their victories in securing the presidency, reclaiming the Senate, and maintaining House control.

“We’re going to be very aggressive; we’re going to move the America First Agenda for the American people beginning on day one,” Johnson declared, emphasizing the party’s commitment to advancing Trump’s platform.

On Wednesday, House Republicans formally endorsed Johnson to continue as Speaker in the upcoming Congress. During a closed-door meeting near the Capitol, Johnson received a unanimous voice vote for re-election, reflecting strong party unity. Trump had publicly backed Johnson, urging Republicans to “stick together” in the next congressional term.

According to insiders, Trump also vowed to execute the “largest deportation operation in history,” a promise that drew enthusiastic support from House Republicans. He further joked about the possibility of running for office again, quipping, “I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say he’s so good we’ve got to figure something out.”

Trump took the opportunity to celebrate the GOP’s success. “It’s nice to win. It’s always nice to win. We had historic numbers, especially for the president,” Trump said. He highlighted Republican gains in traditionally blue states, suggesting this momentum could lead to future victories in states like New York, New Jersey, and California.

In a separate announcement, Trump detailed his plans to “dismantle” the so-called “deep state” and restore what he described as integrity to American democracy. In a video message, Trump outlined a ten-point strategy to reform federal governance, emphasizing structural changes in national security and intelligence agencies.

“My plan is to destroy the deep state and take back our democracy from corrupt Washington once and for all—and corrupt it is,” Trump stated. He pledged to reissue a 2020 executive order granting the president authority to fire “rogue bureaucrats” and proposed establishing a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” to investigate alleged misconduct by federal agencies.

Trump also vowed to declassify documents exposing what he called “deep-state buying, censorship, and corruption,” asserting this would promote transparency and public accountability.

Additionally, Trump proposed a crackdown on government leaks, accusing some leakers of colluding with “fake news” to undermine democracy. “We will crack down hard on government leakers who work with fake news to spread lies and undermine our government and democracy,” he declared, suggesting criminal charges for those found guilty.