“RAKIN’ IT IN IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY”: Rudy Salas and Adam Gray Compile Massive Fundraising Hauls

POLITICO: “The party’s picks for two of the fiercest House races in the state — and the country overall — each pulled in more than $1 million in the first quarter of 2024.”

Rudy Salas and Adam Gray continue to build their campaigns’ momentum and prove that Californians are ready for real change in the Central Valley – kicking off 2024 with seven-figure hauls.

While vulnerable Republican John Duarte “has never posted a million-dollar quarter,” Gray and Salas – who are aiming to represent California’s 13th and 22nd “blue-tinted districts” – raised more than $1 million and $1.3 million in the first quarter of 2024, respectively.

According to POLITICO, “Gray and Salas are… poised to be better resourced this time around,” increasing their opportunities to topple “precariously perched” Duarte and David Valadao.

DCCC Spokesperson Dan Gottlieb:
“The proof is in the numbers: California voters are ready for John Duarte and David Valadao to go, and they know Adam Gray and Rudy Salas are the right leaders to bring true representation back to the Central Valley.”

POLITICO: House candidates in rural California rake it in
Melanie Mason | April 3, 2024

• Deep in the heart of California’s farm country, Democrats are enjoying a fundraising bounty.

• The party’s picks for two of the fiercest House races in the state — and the country overall — each pulled in more than $1 million in the first quarter of 2024, according to figures shared exclusively with POLITICO. The seven-figure hauls are fueling optimism that Democrats can topple two incumbent Republicans who are precariously perched in blue-tinted districts.

• Rudy Salas, a former state lawmaker who is taking on GOP Rep. David Valadao, raised more than $1.3 million, his campaign said, and ended the quarter with $750,000 in the bank, after fending off fellow Democrat Melissa Hurtado in the March 5 primary. Adam Gray, also a former legislator, did not have a competitive primary to contend with but still swept up more than $1 million in donations and has roughly the same amount on hand for his match-up with GOP Rep. John Duarte.

• In both races, Democrats are gearing up for a rematch, after narrowly losing in 2022 (in Gray’s case, “narrow” is an understatement — he lost to Duarte by just 564 votes). The candidates are betting that a presidential election year will turn out more of their party’s voters, helping close the gap.

• Gray and Salas are also poised to be better resourced this time around. This quarter has been their most lucrative in either the 2022 or 2024 cycle.

• The Central Valley, one of the most impoverished parts of the state, is hardly a fundraising mother lode. Valadao has only notched a seven-figure quarterly haul once, in October 2020, as he was running to win back his seat. Duarte has never posted a million-dollar quarter.

• “A million dollars goes a lot further here than it does in Orange County and LA,” Gray said. “It’s really going to put us in a position to run a competitive general election.”

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