Lincoln and Gray Offer Divergent Cost Fixes in Stockton-Area House Contest

California's 13th Congressional District, which now includes downtown Stockton, will be decided on Nov. 3 between Republican Kevin Lincoln, the city's former mayor, and Democratic Rep. Adam Gray.

Both candidates identify household costs as the campaign's central question, but their remedies diverge. Lincoln, a former Marine and Stockton pastor, said at a September rally he wants to lower gas, food and utility prices, create jobs, cut taxes and expand healthcare access. He also said he "knows how to grind, knows how to fight and how to win a tough election." Gray, a Merced native and whip for the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, said he worked to reverse Republican Medicaid moves, tried to limit presidential tariff authority without congressional approval, and introduced a measure to ease thermal energy regulations.

Gray entered the race with a financial edge. Federal Election Commission figures through June 30 show $4.2 million in contributions and loans for Gray, compared with $2.2 million for Lincoln. Gray also carries the seat's incumbency, having won the district two years ago by 187 votes out of 210,921 ballots cast against Republican John Duarte.

Lincoln brings President Donald Trump's backing. Trump wrote on Truth Social in December that Lincoln has his "Complete and Total Endorsement," language Lincoln still displays on his campaign site. Lincoln recorded a "MAGA Majority" video for the National Republican Congressional Committee detailing his time as Stockton mayor, his Marine Corps service and his work as a pastor. His LinkedIn profile lists service in the Marine Corps' White House Military Office, guarding the presidential helicopter Marine One from 2001 to 2005, and executive pastor duties at Stockton's LifeSong Ministries through 2020. He ran unsuccessfully in 2024 against Rep. Josh Harder in the 9th District, then switched to District 13 after boundaries were redrawn under Proposition 50.

Gray has called Trump's deportation policies "irresponsible, reckless, dangerous" while avoiding partisan framing. "What voters want here is an independent voice, not a Democratic voice, not a Republican voice," he told the Sacramento Bee. Lincoln, pointing to Gray's tenure in the California Legislature, said Gray "increased the gas tax over 113% a gallon." Gray can point to gasoline and diesel prices that have risen since the war with Iran began.

District 13 covers the San Joaquin Valley's agricultural core and extends south along Interstate 5 to roughly the Coalinga area, skirting Fresno. State records from 2023, before redistricting, showed 42.3% of voters registered as Democrats and 28.5% as Republicans. Voters decide the seat on Nov. 3.