Early election returns saw area incumbents bucking the trend that swept so many challengers into office throughout the rest of the country Tuesday night.

At press time, Mayor Amy Bublak held a 451-vote lead over Jim Reape, councilmembers Kevin Bixel (District 1) and Cassandra Abram (District 3) both enjoyed leads over their respective challengers, and Rep. Adam Gray (D-Merced) and Rep. Tom McClintock (R-El Dorado Hills) were well ahead of their opponents.

Republican Alexandra Duarte led Democrat Jaron Brandon 52 percent to 48 percent in the District 4 state senate race – a race without an incumbent.

Bublak had amassed 4,748 votes while Reape had tallied 4,297. Kelley Coelho was a non-factor with 814 votes. Four years ago, 17,000 votes were cast in the mayoral race; eight years ago, more than 22,000 were cast. That means 8,000 to 12,000 votes still remain to be counted – if not more.

Both candidates were positive, however.

“I’m tired, but I’m confident,” said Bublak.

“I’m very, very hopeful,” said Reape. “I’ve had lots of good feedback the last few weeks.”

With more than 2,800 votes cast in District 1, Bixel held a comfortable 589-vote cushion against Jeremy Rocha. In District 3, with nearly 2,900 votes cast, Abram led Ryan Taylor by 100 votes.

McClintock faced his toughest race since Turlock became part of his district, garnering 55.4 percent of the vote against Democrat Michael Masuda.

“I think it’s a wake-up call for Republicans to return to their Constitutional moorings,” said McClintock, who greeted constituents at the Ten Pin Fun Center in Turlock on Tuesday night. “People are extremely upset over war in Iran and its effect on the economy, and tariffs and their effect on the economy – and they expressed it very clearly across the country tonight.”

Gray, a leader in the Blue Dog coalition, defeated incumbent John Duarte in 2024 by just 187 votes, two years after losing to Duarte by 564 votes. Late Tuesday, he led former Stockton mayor Kevin Lincoln by 18,000 votes.

“Tonight, Americans voted for a change in direction,” said Gray, who celebrated with supporters at The Tarmac in Atwater. “They want a government that takes their concerns seriously, lowers the cost of living, protests their economic security, and puts the country’s interests ahead of partisan politics.”

With Republicans struggling to overcome President Donald Trump’s low standing, Democrats rode a “Blue Wave” to take control of the House and Senate in a resounding midterm triumph.