Local news before breakfast Your Local News

Merced County, CA · Daily edition

Merced County news for Saturday, October 17, 2026

1 story from Merced County, in about three minutes.

Local Politics

Congressional Race in CA-13 Sees $4.3M GOP Spending Against Rep. Gray

Republican groups have spent over $4.34 million this year backing former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln against Democratic Rep. Adam Gray in California's 13th Congressional District, which stretches from Stockton down State Route 99 to Merced. The Congressional Leadership Fund's spending dwarfs the House Majority PAC's under-$400,000 investment in the race, per filings as of Oct. 11. GOP ads attack Gray over his 2017 vote for a state gas tax increase and allege he profited from a $100 million road project in Merced County; Gray has disclosed receiving more than $366,000 from a construction company owned by his cousin. Lincoln emphasizes cost-cutting, public safety, and border policy, while Gray promotes bipartisan legislation including telehealth access and geothermal energy bills co-authored with Republican colleagues. The Cook Political Report moved the race from "toss-up" to "lean Dem" in January following California's Prop. 50 redistricting.

Source: The Observer Read the full story ↗