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“The residents of California’s 13th Congressional District deserve a representative who truly understands and will fight for the San Joaquin Valley. Without question, that person is Adam Gray – who has a decade of service to prove it. While John Duarte boasts the support of MAGA Republicans hellbent on pushing a dangerous and unpopular agenda to burden middle class families, from water to cost of living, Adam Gray has always been on the side of San Joaquin Valley families and will fight tirelessly for them in Washington.” – DCCC Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney
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To: Interested Parties
From: Maddy Mundy, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: June 15th, 2022
Subject: The Case For Adam Gray
Adam Gray is a product of the Central Valley and knows the struggle working families face – he has faced them too. Adam grew up in Merced County and put himself through college working at his family’s feed store and dairy supply company. After graduation, Adam heard the call to give back to his community and began work in the state legislature, fighting for investments in infrastructure, agriculture and water. Adam’s understanding of the Valley has allowed him to forge an independent path, not voting along partisan lines, but for Valley interests.
In contrast, John Duarte’s recent interest in the district smacks of opportunism. John Duarte does not have Adam Gray’s record of public service, but he does have the backing of MAGA Republicans like Kevin McCarthy and Elise Stefanik, who was recently in the news for pushing the racist “white replacement theory,” the same conspiracy that motivated the horrific mass shooting in Buffalo last month. Duarte has been welcomed with open arms by the most extreme of his party, and McCarthy’s super PAC, the Conservative Leadership Fund, has announced its plan to allocate more than a million in ad spending on behalf of Duarte.
Republicans are desperate to add another rubber stamp for their MAGA agenda in Congress, and they’ve selected Duarte as their MAGA champion. But these extreme Republicans’ out-of-touch priorities won’t sit well with San Joaquin Valley families who want to focus on the bread and butter issues – the issues Adam Gray has been fighting for for the last ten years. This November, San Joaquin Valley residents have an opportunity to elect a proven fighter and one of their own in Adam Gray.
AGRICULTURE + WATER ACCESS
Whether it’s taking on his own party or anyone else, Adam Gray is an independent thinker who will do what’s right for the Valley. He is not afraid to stand up to his own party if it’s in the interest of the Valley.
Whether in Sacramento or Washington, plenty of politicians don’t understand the importance of water – but they should. The Central Valley produces a quarter of the nation’s food. Adam will fight for the respect the Valley deserves in Washington, as well as the policies that will allow agriculture to prosper. Adam knows water is the lifeblood of the Valley. In the state legislature, he has shepherded historic investments to store water and invest in water infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Duarte aligns himself with Republicans who voted against historic investments in infrastructure. Thanks to Democrats’ leadership, funding has arrived to address infrastructure repairs and air quality issues. The San Joaquin Valley has the highest rate of childhood asthma in the state, yet MAGA Republicans could not bring themselves to vote for these critical investments. Now, they are pouring money into Duarte’s campaign in the hopes of adding another rubber stamp on their out-of-touch priorities.
EDUCATION + HEALTH CARE
Adam put himself through college, so he understands the value of an education. That’s why Adam led efforts in the legislature to fund schools and support San Joaquin Valley children through adulthood, investing in vocational programs that result in real gains for the community and fulfill regional needs, like agricultural technology research and medical school programs. In Congress, Adam will work to lift residency caps to ensure the fruits of investments made in future doctors who train in the Valley stay in the Valley.
Adam Gray has invested in rural health care and worked with local partners to address a historic shortage of doctors in the Valley. Throughout his career, Adam has been a tireless fighter for affordable, accessible health care. In the California legislature, Adam brought millions home to the Central Valley. Adam understands Valley families’ struggles and will work to lower the costs of health care in Congress.
Meanwhile, extreme Republicans refuse to address the rising cost of health care, and admit their only plan is to tax the middle-class and seniors. If Duarte is elected, he will join the MAGA class who voted against capping the price of insulin and want to impose a tax on working families, while sunsetting Social Security and Medicare.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Adam believes in fully funding the police and remaining tough on crime. He has supported programs to crack down on gang violence and confiscate dangerous weapons. Adam’s record of supporting public safety has garnered the endorsements of local sheriffs in Fresno and Stanislaus.
Meanwhile, Duarte would join the ranks of Republican members of the California Congressional Delegation who voted against widely popular safety measures like comprehensive background checks. At a time when California and the nation has been rocked by a gun violence epidemic, we need common sense reform. The stakes have never been higher to send a leader who will tackle this issue in Congress and keep Central Valley families safe.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Merced County Times: Gray says the right choice for 13th Congressional District is very clear [May 25, 2022]
“Gray says he wants to go to Washington to continue addressing the same issues he’s been facing in Sacramento: Things like drought regulations, water storage and conservation. ‘We have to have an all-of-the-above approach. We have to engage in conservation and improving the current infrastructure that we have — which means raising reservoirs. It means investing in efficiencies such as lining our canals. It means putting in the pipes to connect existing reservoirs so that depending on runoff and different systems, we can have more flexibility around storage. It means investing in technology to better analyze the snow melt so that we can capture runoff more effectively. … I worked to get $100 million in last year’s budget so that we could look at mapping the San Joaquin Valley Floor to look for groundwater recharge opportunities.’”
The Modesto Bee: Three McClatchy newspapers jointly endorse this candidate in Congress’ 13th District [May 8, 2022]
“Fortunately, one candidate easily rises above the others in experience, knowledge and record of effective representation. He also is the only one among the five hopefuls who actually lives in the 13th District. Adam Gray is one of us, and we deserve his representation in Washington, D.C.
“Gray’s command of the issues should be apparent to anyone watching the McClatchy debate, from inflation and wildfire prevention to water policy and COVID-19 relief. Asked if the 2020 presidential election was legitimate, others stumbled with discomfort while Gray gave a no-nonsense, clear answer of one word: ‘Yes.’”
GV Wire: Gray Declares Victory in Effort to Keep Reservoir Projects Moving Forward [May 27, 2022]
“Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced) put together a bipartisan coalition to defeat a bill that would have prohibited the State Water Board from issuing new water right permits. ‘It took a broad coalition to defeat the bill. The San Joaquin Valley doesn’t always have enough friends in the state Legislature to stop bad bills, but we did today,’ Gray said in a news release. ‘I am grateful to my colleagues who took the time to understand a complicated issue.’”
KCRA: Catalytic converter bill aimed at cracking down on theft passes California Assembly [May 28, 2022]
“As KCRA 3 Investigates has reported, over the past three years, there were nearly 3,000 reports of catalytic converter thefts in Sacramento County alone. The bill’s authors, Assemblymembers Adam Gray, Steven Choi and Patterson say that it will add penalities for altering the VIN on a converter or selling it. It would also require smog check facilities to check that the VIN is inscribed on the converter.”
PATH TO VICTORY
In California’s 13th Congressional District, Democrats hold a 14-point registration advantage over Republicans. No amount of MAGA Republican money is going to turn John Duarte into the right candidate for CA-13. This blue district will reject the agenda of Duarte and the radical Republicans who back him.
In the race to represent the San Joaquin Valley in California’s 13th, voters have an easy choice: Adam Gray doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk. He has a deep understanding of the issues that matter most to Valley families, and a long record of results to point to throughout his ten years in the state legislature. While extreme Republicans move in lockstep to ban abortion, prevent sensible gun violence reform, and overturn the results of legitimate elections, Gray will cut through the nonsense to do what he’s always done – fight for the Valley. |
