Rep. John Duarte Eyeing Trump Administration Job After Narrowly Losing His Seat

Rep. John Duarte, a moderate Republican in California’s Central Valley, ran for reelection on water rights but lost by 187 votes. Now sources tell NOTUS he’s pursuing a bid to manage and develop all water projects in the West.

Rep. John Duarte

Rep. John Duarte walks down the House steps after a vote in the Capitol. Bill Clark/AP

After losing his reelection bid in one of the closest House races in history, Rep. John Duarte is pursuing a job leading the Bureau of Reclamation, three sources confirmed to NOTUS.

During his one term in office, Duarte was frequently one of the few dissenting voices in the House GOP conference. He was one of two members to vote against a hard-line border security and immigration measure, and he often stood against “poison pill” amendments brought by members of the House Freedom Caucus on abortion and transgender rights.

But after conceding his race to Democrat Adam Gray earlier this week, Duarte is now trying to lead the Bureau of Reclamation, an agency within the Department of the Interior that manages, develops and protects water resources in the western half of the U.S., bringing water to more than 31 million people and providing irrigation for 10 million acres of farmland. The race was the last House contest to be called in 2024 and was the closest congressional election of the cycle, with Gray beating Duarte by 187 votes. It was the 15th closest House race in the last 100 years.