Ceres Mayor Javier Lopez to challenge Rep. Adam Gray for congressional seat

Ceres Mayor Javier Lopez has confirmed he will challenge U.S. Rep. Adam Gray, less than three weeks after the National Republican Congressional Committee announced the Merced Democrat was on their list of congressional seats to target in the 2026 election.

“I personally don’t feel like he’s doing a good job at the moment,” said Lopez, who was first elected Ceres mayor in 2020. He was re-elected in November.

Lopez, 42, said he has lived in Ceres since he was 5 years old and has had a “great time” leading the community, but believes “there’s an opportunity for voices of the valley to be heard.” His parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico.

He said he has been a Republican since he was 18 years old.

Lopez disagreed with Gray’s decision not to vote for a bill earlier this year to ban transgender people from competing in female sports through every level of school and college. It passed the House of Representatives.

Gray said he voted against the bill because it was overly broad and would rip funds away from school districts, The Sacramento Bee previously reported, not because he believes trans female athletes should be able to compete with cisgender women.

Lopez said he believed Gray voted with his party, not on principal. The mayor said he believes voters will support him because of his values.

In a candidacy announcement Thursday on the Facebook page “Javier for Congress,” the mayor wrote, “This district deserves a representative who understands our values and shares our struggles. I’m not a career politician. I grew up here. I’ve lived my whole life here. I’m a normal guy who might be your neighbor, and we need more of that in Washington.”

If elected, he plans to support farmers and water storage, bring money for transportation projects back to the district and focus on fire prevention. He said he worked as a fire technician before running for mayor.

The election is more than a year and a half away, but the 13th U.S. Congressional District has been one of the closest and most consequential U.S. House races in recent years.

Gray defeated Republican John Duarte by a narrow margin in 2024.

The Facebook announcement says Lopez will launch his campaign with an event Saturday, April 5, in Ceres. It directs the public to javierforcongress.com.

This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 8:46 AM.