Gray retains seat in Assembly

Despite an injection of Republican cash down the home stretch in the 21st Assembly District race, incumbent Adam Gray, D-Merced, looks to have kept his seat.

With 86 percent of precincts reporting at press time, Gray led the polls with 52 percent of the vote in the district that includes Merced County and parts of Stanislaus County. He is defending it against Republican challenger Jack Mobley, who had 48 percent at press time.

On their own, Gray and Mobley raised a combined $704,557, compared with the $1.3 million spent so far by others eager to help their candidate or hinder the opponent.

The incumbent has been in the seat since 2012, when the two candidates faced off for the first time. That race was decided by a double-digit margin in Gray’s favor.

Gray, 37, said Tuesday he was confident that he would continue to remain in the lead. “The results continue to trend in my direction and I think we’ve run a good campaign,” he said.

The passage of Proposition 1 was priority No. 1, he said. The measure looks to have passed with 72 percent of the vote and would fund a $75 billion water bond for the state in an attempt to better manage the resource. “That shows that we’re doing the right things, and I think the response from the community is good,” he said.

Also high on his list, he said, is the loop planned to send traffic around Merced. The idea is to connect the parkways and expressways being built on either side of the city that will lead to UC Merced and the Castle Commerce Center.

That kind of infrastructure will help attract high-paying jobs to the area, he said, pointing to the Restoration Hardware distribution center coming to Patterson in neighboring Stanislaus County. The city falls within the 21st Assembly District.

While infrastructure, water and transportation projects may take longer to come to fruition, Gray said, investments in UC Merced can pay off sooner.

Gray said the influx of Republican dollars going to Mobley played a big part in how close the race ended. As of Friday, Republican sources have funneled $859,895 to Mobley’s cause, either supporting him or attacking Gray.

“What’s encouraging is the voters here in the community rejected that kind of campaign,” Gray said.

Democratic donors last week rushed to Gray’s defense, pumping $346,500 into ads and mailers either supporting him or attacking Mobley.

The total amount of outside money benefiting Gray, $459,935, does not exceed the $628,308 he raised on his own as of Oct. 18, the end of the last reporting period.

Mobley had said that money and the environment surrounding this year’s election put him in a better position than last time. Mobley said his priority list included installing better water management and making the state friendly to business.

“The Republican Party came in behind me and went to bat for me, so I think that made a big difference,” he said.

With ballots still to be counted from Atwater, Los Banos and the unincorporated parts of the county, Mobley said he still had time to make up the difference.

“It’ll be a nail-biter but, you know, I’m not willing to throw in the towel,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2014 at 10:49 PM with the headline "Gray retains seat in Assembly."