A renegade's vote to end shutdown

Rep. Adam Gray (D-Merced) has his sights on reelection in battleground district.

- BY ANA CEBALLOS

REP. ADAM Gray won his Central Valley seat by 187 votes last year.

(ANDREW KUHN Merced Sun-Star)

Rep. Adam Gray was one of only six House Democrats and the only one from California who voted with Republicans in favor of a deal to end the government shutdown, and there was a calculated reason behind that decision.

Gray, a first-term Democrat from the Central Valley, is running for reelection in a majority Latino district that national Republicans are expected to heavily target as they defend their narrow House majority in next fall's midterm elections. Last year, Gray won his seat by 187 votes, and although redistricting has since made the 13th District more favorable to Democrats, it remains highly competitive.

The Merced Democrat's vote reflects the political reality of representing one of the nation's few battleground districts. Gray is positioning himself as an independent-minded Democrat willing to buck leadership on politically divisive issues. The shutdown deal gave him a rare opportunity to put that in practice, even at the risk of frustrating members of his party.