By admin U.S. Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, and progressive Democrat Randy Villegas are battling in California’s most closely watched House race, a contest that could help determine control of Congress.
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Valadao has repeatedly defied the odds by winning the Central Valley swing district, where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans, in six out of the last seven elections. This year, Democrats will try their luck with Villegas — a populist who is backed by progressive leaders like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Villegas advanced in a tough primary against Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, a moderate Democrat who was endorsed by the establishment wing of the party. He received 32.4% of the vote, compared to Bains’ 26.9%.
Valadao carried 40.7% of voters in the district, which spans parts of five Central Valley counties. He is viewed as particularly vulnerable this election cycle following Proposition 50’s voter-approved redistricting. The battleground district will have a slightly higher Democratic registration advantage.
Valadao also has faced criticism from his deciding vote on H.R. 1, a sweeping federal policy bill passed last summer that will cause millions of Americans to lose healthcare coverage, and his ties to the Republican Party and its leader President Donald Trump.
Nonpartisan election analysts at Inside Elections currently rate the seat as “tilt Republican,” while Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan political analysis organization, rates the district as “leans Democratic.”
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Where is the district?
Under the new map, District 22 has narrowed, while extending north to include smaller towns like Huron, Riverdale, Caruthers, Kerman and San Joaquin.
It will also continue to encompass parts of Tulare, Porterville, Wasco and Bakersfield. Hanford, which is Valadao’s hometown, now makes up a smaller part of the district.
Who are the candidates?
Valadao, 49, is a six-term U.S. representative who was most recently elected in 2024. He was raised in Hanford to Portuguese immigrants who established a dairy farm in the Central Valley.
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Valadao served one term in the California Assembly before winning a seat in Congress in 2012. He won five of the six subsequent elections, with one loss in 2018. He currently serves on the House Committee on Appropriations, which is responsible for originating legislation that allocates federal spending, as well as three subcommittees: Legislative Branch, Defense and Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration. Some of Valadao’s top issues are protecting water supply, fighting for farmers, taking care of veterans and affordable healthcare, according to his campaign website.
Villegas, a populist who is backed by major progressives names, is a college professor and school board trustee. He was raised in Kern County to immigrant parents from Mexico. Villegas, 32, later became the first in his family to earn a Ph.D.
He has refused to accept any donations from corporate political action committees, and attacked Valadao who he says has “consistently sided with corporate interests” over the needs of Central Valley communities. The top issues on Villegas’ website are Medicare for all, universal childcare and family leave, as well as holding corporate polluters accountable and ending corporate ownership of single-family homes.
Who is funding the race?
While Valadao holds a commanding cash advantage, Villegas has raised nearly twice as much as his opponent in the last filing period.
In total, Valadao has received about $3.35 million this election cycle, according to the Federal Election Commission website. Some of his largest contributors are GOP leadership political action committees including Speaker Mike Johnson’s PAC Grow the Majority, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s PAC Majority Builders and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s PAC Defend Our Majority. He has about $3.37 million cash on hand.
Villegas has raised $2.59 million from April 2025 to the end of June 2026, which is the latest filing deadline. His biggest donations came from progressive PACs and organizations like the Working Families Party, Congressional Progressive Caucus and Leaders We Deserve. He has roughly $572,000 cash on hand.
Supporters of Villegas have noted his fundraising strides in recent months. He raised more than $1.25 million in the last filing period — April 1 to June 30 — compared to Valadao’s roughly $560,000.
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