Teacher Villegas defeats Republican Valadao in California — The Guardian

In the United States, Democrat Randy Villegas won the election to the House of Representatives in California’s 22nd congressional district. The college instructor defeated incumbent Republican Congressman David Valadao, who had held the office for six terms.

Competitive district

The 22nd district, stretching from Bakersfield to areas west of Fresno, was the only one in California considered genuinely competitive. Its boundaries were redrawn under Proposition 50. Villegas and Valadao are from California’s Central Valley, and their families have immigrant backgrounds and ties to working-class or agricultural communities.

As The Guardian reports, the district is one of the poorest in the country. Residents cited health care and the rising cost of living among the main campaign issues.

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Health care and funding

According to KFF, this district ranks second among all U.S. districts both by the share and the number of people enrolled in Medicaid. Villegas criticized Valadao over cuts to the federal health insurance program passed last year as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Valadao cast one of the decisive votes for the law.

Campaign financing also became an important issue. According to federal filings, Valadao ended the campaign with $1.7 million in cash. OpenSecrets noted that he received more than twice as much money from political committees as the average House candidate. Villegas pledged not to accept corporate donations and won the support of Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Dolores Huerta.