Democrat Adam Gray has flipped one of his party’s highest-priority seats in California’s Central Valley, booting Republican Rep. John Duarte from office in the last House race in the country to be called.

Gray, a former state legislator, previously lost to Duarte in 2022 by a margin of 564 votes. This year, his party managed to turn out enough supporters to deal a major blow to the GOP.

Duarte told Blue Light News on Tuesday that he had conceded the race.

Democratic flips of seats held by California GOP Reps. Duarte, Mike Garcia and Michelle Steel have cut into Republicans’ narrow House majority, as will — for the near term — the expected GOP departures of Reps. Michael Waltz of Florida, Elise Stefanik of New York and Matt Gaetz of Florida. For the time being, Republicans hold 220 seats and Democrats 215.

Democrats poured millions into flipping key swing regions like the Central Valley, far outspending Republican incumbents like Duarte.

Mia McCarthy contributed to this story.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is weighing a bid for the top Democratic position on the Oversight Committee, she told reporters Tuesday.

“I’m interested,” she said in comments confirmed by a spokesperson.

The outspoken progressive could run for the spot if it’s vacated by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who’s mounting a challenge against Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) for the top Democratic position on the Judiciary Committee. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who had run against Raskin for the job last Congress, declared his bid Tuesday. And Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) could also be in the mix.

It’s the latest salvo in House Democrats’ generational battle over the leadership of congressional committees.

Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.), the top Democrat on the Agriculture committee — who has been dogged by questions about his health and ability to lead the panel’s Democrats — faces a strong challenge from Reps. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.). And Rep. Jared Huffman is running to succeed Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who announced Monday he wouldn’t run again to lead the panel’s Democrats.

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration abruptly withdrew his name from consideration on Tuesday just days after being chosen.

Chad Chronister said in a post on X that he made the decision “as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in,” but didn’t cite a reason for his withdrawal other than concluding he wanted to continue in his current role as a sheriff in Florida.

“There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling,” he said. “I sincerely appreciate the nomination, outpouring of support by the American people, and look forward to continuing my service as Sheriff of Hillsborough County.”

Chronister was initially appointed to his job as county sheriff by then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott in 2017 before successfully running for election to the role. He also overlapped in the office with Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for attorney general, when she was a state prosecutor. Trump said in a post on Truth Social Saturday, when he announced his selection, that Chronister would “secure the Border, stop the flow of Fentanyl, and other Illegal Drugs, across the Southern Border, and SAVE LIVES.”

Chronister drew criticism from some conservatives, including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), over his actions during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, his office arrested a Tampa pastor for violating quarantine orders to hold services. Charges against the pastor were ultimately dropped.

“I’m going to call ‘em like I see ’em. Trump’s nominee for head of DEA should be disqualified for ordering the arrest a pastor who defied COVID lockdowns,” Massie, a member of the House Judiciary and House Rules Committees, posted on X on Sunday.

Chronister’s crime fighting approach as sheriff of a purple county also hasn’t necessarily fallen in line with conservative orthodoxy.

“When I stepped into my role as Hillsborough County Sheriff, I knew that as a law enforcement agency, we could not arrest our way out of problems like drug addiction and mental health issues in our community,” Chronister said in 2021. “We had to take a holistic approach in order to reduce recidivism.”

But Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’d been a vocal critic of Covid lockdowns, publicly backed Chronister’s nomination. He specifically cited a decision he made in 2022, when Chronister stood beside him as he ousted a left-leaning prosecutor, Andrew Warren.

Asked for comment about Chronister’s withdrawal, Trump transition spokesperson Brian Hughes said the sheriff’s statement spoke for itself.