Reps. John Duarte and Adam Gray faced battles over costs, water and abortion in their final debate before one of the nation’s most competitive House of Representatives elections. One party implored voters to view their leadership as more down-to-earth than the other.
But during their debate Thursday night, they did agree on how to respond to several issues, including e-Verify requirements, minimum wage, rent control and electric vehicle policies.
Both shied away from direct answers to questions about abortion views. Both confirmed that they supported the presidential nominee for their respective parties – former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The wide-ranging and largely civil debate between freshman Duarte, R-Modesto, and former Assemblyman Gray, D-Merced, touched on immigration, the economy, water policy, affordable housing, high-speed rail, gas prices and more.
Each expressed bipartisan work in this politically mixed district, which has more registered Democrats than Republicans.
Gray repeatedly tried to link Duarte to conservative Republicans and Trump in the House of Representatives, denouncing the Republican presidential candidate’s rhetoric on immigrants.
Duarte did not mention Gray’s name in the same way, but frequently mentioned his own votes against his own party and his low rating from a conservative organization that rates members of Congress. Gray cited his differences with Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sacramento Democrats during his decade in the State Assembly on issues like water.
A host of policy questions yielded similar answers from the Republican incumbent and Democratic challenger.
Neither believes that the government should require individuals to purchase an electric vehicle. In California, all new passenger cars sold in the state must be zero-emission by 2035.
“No, I think it’s something that can be handled in the marketplace,” Gray said.
“This stems from Gavin Newsom’s crazy politics in California,” Duarte said. “We are a one-party state and we do crazy things, and I would use every federal power I have in Congress to stop this.”
Neither supports requiring E-Verify for all private employers. E-Verify is a way for employers to verify employees’ eligibility to work in the United States.
Neither is in favor of raising the minimum wage, which is on the ballot in California through Proposition 32, with both sidestepping a question to specify what a living wage is in California by saying it depends on where you live in the state you live in and your economic situation.
Neither candidate supports rent control — an issue being voted on through Proposition 33, which aims to repeal rules blocking rent control for a large portion of California housing.
“While it sounds good, rent control is unfortunately a proven failure in terms of the market,” Duarte said.
“I’ve talked about having the courage to stand up to those in your own party, and there are certainly many in my party who support rent control,” Gray said. “I don’t.”
Duarte and Gray are in a rematch for California’s 13th Congressional District, a race that nonpartisan election analysts say is a toss-up. Their fight could help tilt control of the House of Representatives, as Democrats only need to flip four seats nationwide to gain the majority.
Gray lost to Duarte, a farmer and businessman, in 2022 by four-tenths of a percentage point, one of the closest House races in the country that year. The 13th District includes all of Merced County and parts of Madera, Stanislaus, Fresno and San Joaquin counties.
On Thursday, both candidates disagreed with Trump’s claim last month that disaster funding for California’s wildfires would be tied to water allocations for the state’s farmers.
“These types of threats have no place in public policy,” Gray said.
Initially, Duarte answered questions about whether he supported Trump’s claim by touting his own moderate profile and bipartisan water efforts. Pressed again, Duarte said, “No, we can find better ways than that” to deliver water without withholding aid.
They all had reservations about a question about abortion policy, a crucial issue in the 2022 midterm elections across the country after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the nearly 50-year precedent that established federal abortion protections.
Asked whether he would support legislation codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law, Duarte said: “I would look at it. That’s hypothetical. So I can’t answer because I can’t see the bill.”
Duarte has previously said he would not support a federal abortion ban and that states should determine abortion policy.
Gray said Roe v. Wade should be codified into federal law, but would not say whether he supported any restrictions on abortion when asked repeatedly by the moderator.
“That’s a conversation and a medical discussion between the right people: a woman and her doctor,” Gray said.
Finally, when asked about their favorite childhood Halloween costumes, Duarte said they were in an electric chair in college. Gray said he dressed as Alfred E. Neuman from Mad Magazine.
