Randy Villegas Claims California’s 22nd District for Democrats
The community college professor defeated six-term incumbent David Valadao in a district that served as the state's primary competitive battleground.
By Takeshi Faure ·
Democrat Randy Villegas secured 100% of the reported votes in California’s 22nd congressional district, unseating Republican incumbent David Valadao. The Associated Press called the race on Wednesday morning. Villegas, a community college professor, defeated the six-term congressman in a district that analysts identified as the only true toss-up in the state.
The contest was shaped by a redistricting process approved by voters last year. Proposition 50 remade the state’s voting maps, creating a new 22nd district that stretches from Bakersfield to just west of Fresno. This majority-Latino district is among the poorest in the country and holds the second-highest rate and number of Medicaid enrollees in the nation, according to KFF.
Both candidates are Central Valley natives from immigrant families with agricultural ties. However, they pursued different strategies to win the vote. Valadao entered the election with $1.7 million in cash on hand and received more than twice the average amount of money from political action committees, per federal finance reports and OpenSecrets. Villegas campaigned on a platform that rejected corporate donations, relying instead on tens of thousands of grassroots donors and hundreds of volunteers.
Healthcare costs dominated the local conversation. Residents cited rising expenses and the impact of federal cuts to the health insurance program, which passed last year in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Valadao cast one of the decisive votes for that legislation. Villegas highlighted those cuts as a primary reason to change the district’s leadership in the House.
Villegas received endorsements from prominent progressive figures, including Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Dolores Huerta. His victory is part of a wider Democratic success across the United States on Tuesday night. The party gained control of both the House and the Senate, flipping several congressional seats in California with the help of the new boundaries drawn by Proposition 50.
In a statement on Tuesday night, Villegas described the result as a win for working families in the Central Valley. He said the district proved that working people could refuse to let billionaires and special interests decide their future. "The Central Valley is not for sale," he said. After the race was officially called, he added, "They say it takes a village, we know it takes a Valley."
The next step involves Villegas preparing to take his seat in the new Congress. He will join the Democratic majority in the House, where Democrats have taken control following the election. The district’s focus on healthcare and economic stability will likely shape his legislative agenda as he begins his term.
