House Speaker Mike Johnson visits Modesto area to stump for Kevin Lincoln
House Speaker Mike Johnson visited the Modesto area this week to raise funds for former Stockton mayor Kevin Lincoln.
Lincoln is running against Rep. Adam Gray, D-Merced, for California’s 13th Congressional District — newly redrawn after Proposition 50 passed in November.
The redraw gave Democrats a significant edge. In 2024, Gray defeated Republican incumbent John Duarte by just 187 votes. Gray fared much better against Lincoln in the June primary, leading him by nearly 14,000 votes. They’ll face each other again during the November run-off.
Hughson resident and Livermore Chief of Police Jeramy Young posted a photo on Facebook of himself with Johnson and Lincoln. Young is running for the District 9 state Assembly seat held by Minority Leader Heath Flora.
Flora lost the Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Amador Republican parties’ endorsement after an investigation by The Sacramento Bee found he didn’t live within his district. Instead, Flora was found to be living full time in Sacramento. Even without local party endorsements, Flora still was able to nab the top spot in the June primaries.
The California Highway Patrol’s Modesto office posted photos on social media of officers posing with Johnson at an airport. The caption stated officers were part of Johnson’s escort, along with U.S. Capitol Police.
“Over the past couple of days, officers from the CHP Modesto Area, in conjunction with United States Capitol Police, were honored to provide a safe and secure escort for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson during his visit to the Modesto Area,” read the post’s caption.
Johnson’s last fundraising visit to the Central Valley was in May 2025, when he talked to the region’s Republicans about agriculture and water issues. Lincoln’s 2026 campaign already has raised more than $1.4 million.
