Democrats flip in California concludes final unresolved US House race

 

Democratic Assembly member Adam Gray discusses legislation with a colleague at the Capitol in Sacramento, California, in May 2022. 

Rich Pedroncelli/AP/File

Republican Rep. John Duarte has conceded to his Democratic challenger Adam Gray in California’s 13th Congressional District, Duarte campaign spokesman Duane Dichiara confirmed to CNN.

The five counties in the district certified their results Tuesday, leaving Gray with a 187-vote lead.

The contest was the last unresolved House race in the country, and with Gray’s victory, Republicans won 220 seats to Democrats’ 215. Overall, Democrats gained one seat from their pre-election total.

The Republican majority is likely to be even tighter in the early part of next year – former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from the House last month and won’t take his seat in the new Congress and Republican Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Waltz of Florida are expected to leave the chamber to take positions in the Trump administration.

If all three seats are vacant at once, a 217-215 majority would mean that Republicans couldn’t afford to lose a single member on a party-line vote.