Opponent of One Big Beautiful Bill seeks reelection in House
U.S. Rep. Adam Gray, D-Merced, Calif., who opposed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is running for reelection on Nov. 3 against former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln II, a Republican.
Gray was elected in 2024 to represent California’s 13th Congressional District, located in the San Joaquin Valley. As a member of the House, Gray voted against House Resolution 1, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That was the federal government’s budget bill that Congress passed in July 2025. That budget cut more than $1 trillion federal funding for public health programs and food assistance, among other taxpayer-funded programs, according to previous reporting by The Center Square.
Gray and Lincoln were not available for interviews for this story, but their positions on issues are expressed on their campaign websites. Lincoln has stressed lowering taxes and cutting wasteful spending, while Gray had advocated for healthcare spending.
Gray is campaigning on a platform that includes affordability and lower costs in California, increasing water deliveries to farmers and bolstering support to the state’s agricultural industry. He also expressed support for public education, law enforcement and decreased costs for healthcare.
According to Gray’s campaign website, he introduced legislation that would have reversed all the Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and permanently extended premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act. That bill, House Resolution 4849, ultimately did not pass. He also co-sponsored or introduced legislation that would limit the president’s ability to impose tariffs, lower energy costs and keep Medicaid from further cuts. None of those bills passed.
He also helped secure $220 million for a new medical education facility at University of California, Merced, more than $1 million funding the Modesto Police Department in the San Joaquin Valley, and more than $3.1 million for the Bear Creek Infrastructure and Flood Protection Initiative, according to his website.
And Gray voted for a bill that expanded the federal tax deduction for personal casualty and loss deductions, which would have allowed those who experienced certain kinds of disasters, including fraud, to claim a deduction when filling their taxes each year. That bill, House Resolution 9500, passed in the House on Sept. 15 and was last read in the Senate on Sept. 16. It will next be considered by the Senate’s Finance Committee.
Finance data for Gray’s campaign shows that one of the groups that gave Gray the most individual contributions was ActBlue, which is a platform that allows anyone, including members of the public, to donate money to Democratic political candidates. Through ActBlue, individual campaign donors contributed 2,687 times to Gray’s campaign. Those campaign contributions ranged from very low amounts – sometimes roughly $7 – to large amounts, such as $3,500.
According to campaign finance filings kept by the Federal Election Commission, Gray received $3.693 million in campaign receipts as of Oct. 9. Individual contributions made up $2.423 million, and party committee contributions totaled $4,808. Other committee contributions totaled $1.2 million.
The largest single contribution was $4,800 from the JFW Fund, which also contributed to Gray’s campaign several other times. In total, JFW Fund contributed $122,157.48. Through Democracy Engine, another organization similar to ActBlue, individual donors contributed $62,621.43. Political action committees like the California House Majority Fund contributed three of the 19 largest dollar amounts, which totaled $71,754.35. Gray Whitesides Victory PAC gave $40,000, the third-largest single contribution, while Jeffries Battleground Victory Fund gave two of the top 19 single biggest contributions, which together totaled $50,330.
According to VoteHub, a political analysis site, Gray is likely to get 58% of the vote, putting him ahead of Lincoln.
According to Lincoln’s website, the former Stockton mayor and small business owner’s platform stresses lowering taxes and cutting wasteful spending. Lincoln has also called on securing the U.S. border and supporting law enforcement.
Lincoln has fought what the website calls “soft-on-crime policies” such as early prisoner releases and reduced sentences for repeat offenders.
The Republican candidate also called for creating pathways to help the crypto and blockchain technology industry expand. His website said he has opposed Internal Revenue Service rules that treat software developers like financial intermediaries and believes Americans have the right for self-custody of their digital assets. He is calling for the U.S. to establish rules for the industry “rather than cede the future to foreign competitors,” according to the website.
Lincoln received $1.44 million in campaign contributions, according to FEC filings. Among some of the notable contributions, Grow the Majority Political Action Committee contributed seven of the top 19 highest contribution amounts, totaling $447,391.17. Other top contributors included Emmer Majority Builders, which contributed three of the top 19 largest contributions. Emmer Majority Builders is a fundraising committee started by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Delano, Minn.
Those totaled $143,047.53.
Other political action committees donating to Lincoln included Defend Our Majority, which contributed $147,089.14.
WinRed, which is a similar platform to ActBlue and was set up to allow individuals to donate to Republican political campaigns, contributed roughly 10,140 individual amounts to Lincoln campaign.
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