Blue Wave Hits Home With Gray, Pacheco, Soria

Politics Blue Wave Hits Home With Gray, Pacheco, Soria • Boyenga leads in superintendent race • Bliss, Xiong in nail-biter for seat on City Council • Mercedians say YES to Measure B sales tax By Jonathan Whitaker On Nov 4, 2026 Share The historic blue wave that gave Democrats control of Congress swept into Merced County on Election Day, likely sending Adam Gray back to the U.S. House of Representatives, Esmeralda Soria to the State Senate, and Brian Pacheco to the State Assembly. All three local Democrats held sizable leads over their Republican rivals as of Wednesday morning, Nov. 4. The first-night tally showed Rep. Gray with 61.3 percent of the District 13 vote, or 22,493 votes ahead of Kevin Lincoln, a President Trump-backed candidate from Stockton. State Assembly candidate Brian Pacheco, at left, appears pleased with early results during the Election Night celebration at the Tarmac in Atwater.

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