Republican Rep. John Duarte and Democrat Adam Gray are running for California’s 13th congressional district with the hopes of either keeping the U.S. House of Representatives red or flipping it to blue. … Duarte and Gray were in Modesto on Friday for a debate at the State Theatre. Here’s what they had to say. Duarte was asked how he plans to help Modestans and the surrounding area if re-elected to the House. “Modesto here is a thriving community, because we had a vision for the water rights on the Tuolumne River,” Duarte said. “If you look at the Modesto Irrigation District and the history of Modesto, they’re very closely tied.” …“Here in Stanislaus County, if you go a little bit further out of town here, You’re going to find Dos Rios, which is the new State Park– It’s actually the newest in the State of California,” Gray said. … The Dos Rios state park was established in partnership with River Partners, who thanked Gray as a “longtime floodplain advocate.” “They protect us from floods when we have big wet years off these rivers and you can just put the water out into these floodplains and they recharge groundwater,” Gray said.

Other election articles:

• SJV Water: Heated water district race reveals fears that wealthy outsiders are calling the shots, selling water
• The Mercury News: These six California races could decide control of the U.S. House of Representatives
• Fresno Bee: Opinion: Why California’s Prop. 4 is essential for the Central Valley’s long-term vitality
• KALW: What you need to know about Prop 4, California’s climate bond