Local school board member and auto shop owner Randy Villegas is showing early strength in the CA-22 Democratic primary. Not only is Villegas the top-raising Democrat in the field, he’s also the only candidate in the race rejecting corporate PAC donations.
Villegas has surprised many political observers with his strong fundraising numbers in a working-class district and high-profile endorsements in recent weeks from the Working Families Party, Rep. Ro Khanna, and David Hogg’s Leaders We Deserve PAC. His launch video has been watched over 150,000 times on X and Instagram platforms.
“Randy is running because Central Valley families have been left out by the establishment in both parties,” said Jane Kim, State Director of the California Working Families Party. “David Valadao sold out the Valley by gutting health care for the majority of his constituents while giving tax breaks to his biggest donors who don’t even live in the district. Corporations make billions off the food produced in the Valley, while families’ nutrition programs are cut. We need a fighter for everyday Californians in Congress. Randy is that candidate.”
His challenger in the race, Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, has had a rocky start over the first three months of her campaign:
Bains was roundly criticized for comparing an ad about her corporate donations to “political violence”
An investigative report from the Sacramento Bee uncovered a multi-year pattern of Bains failing to log votes on legislation related to carcinogenics and disease-causing pesticides, while accepting major donations from chemical companies. Bains has so far refused to provide comment on the investigation.
A report from CalMatters found that Bains failed to record votes 202 times during the 2025 legislative session, one of the highest rates of absence in the Democratic caucus.