California voters have overwhelmingly voted to combat President Trump’s partisan gerrymandering, making CA-22 one of the most flippable House seats in the country for the Democratic Party.
Educator, auto shop owner and Central Valley native Randy Villegas, a vocal supporter of Prop 50, is the top-fundraising Democratic challenger in the race. With the new district map to kick in for next year’s elections, Villegas is considered to be in a strong position to unseat under fire Republican David Valadao, who last lost his seat during the 2018 midterm elections under the previous Trump presidency.
“I’ve been a strong advocate for Prop 50 for the same reason I’m running for Congress: I love the Central Valley. We’re the farmworkers who grow the food on your table, the oil and gas workers who keep your lights on. But even though we work hard every day, many of our families are struggling to get by because David Valadao and Donald Trump are selling us out his corporate donors as the cost of healthcare, housing and groceries are skyrocketing.” said Villegas. “With the passing of Prop 50, the Central Valley has the chance to fight for the representation and better deal we deserve.”
Villegas, a Professor of political science at College of the Sequoias, has earned the endorsements of all four Democratic Party County Chairs (Kern, Tulare, Kings and Fresno) in the new CA-22 district map, as well as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC, Latino Victory Fund and the Working Families Party. His campaign has indicated several high-profile endorsements will be announced in the coming weeks.
The other Democratic candidate in the race, state representative Jasmeet Bains, is facing widespread criticism for being the only Democrat in the California Legislature to vote with Republicans against putting Prop 50 on the ballot. Prop 50 received over 50% of votes in every County in the District.