Born and raised in Merced, Adam Gray was raised working in his family's dairy supply and feed store. When the Great Recession hit his hometown hard, Adam chose to step up and be part of the solution. He ran and was elected to the State Assembly in 2012 where he represented Merced County and Stanislaus County for a decade.
In the State Legislature, Adam championed bipartisan commonsense solutions. He was elected by his colleagues to lead the New Democratic Caucus. He also founded the California Problem Solvers Caucus which brings Democrats, Republicans, and independents together to address California’s most critical issues including homelessness, the pandemic, and drought.
Adam has led the fight against the State Water Grab. He bucked his own party leaders by advancing legislation to block the Water Grab and organized the largest water rights rally the State Capitol has ever seen. His efforts paid off when the chief architect of the Water Grab was removed from the board. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Democratic and Republican lawmakers from the Valley, Adam also delivered nearly $3 billion to build new water storage, $200 million to repair aging canals, and $60 million to bolster groundwater basins.
To address the Valley’s historic shortage of doctors, Adam secured more than $200 million to establish a joint medical school at UC Merced and UCSF-Fresno which will enroll its first class of future doctors in 2023. He also passed legislation to double the operating hours of rural health clinics to keep them open during hours that make sense for working families.
When Merced County had the highest murder rate in the state, Adam secured $4.5 million to develop a gang violence reduction program that resulted in the arrest of more than 50 gang leaders and the seizure of 21,000 rounds of ammunition. Adam also passed legislation to crack down on catalytic converter theft and increase penalties on shoplifting rings. Adam secured $400 million to extend the ACE train to Modesto and Merced. He passed legislation preventing funding cuts to county fairs and FFA programs, and increased tax credits for small businesses. Before he was elected to the Legislature, Adam also fought to eliminate the Tractor Tax on farm equipment.
Adam has an unmatched record of fighting and delivering for the Valley. Adam has always put the needs of the community above partisan politics and that’s what he will continue to do if elected to Congress. Adam lives in the district, runs a small business, continues to fight against the Water Grab everyday, and is an educator at UC Merced where he teaches a class on the Legislature.