Who's In the Race

Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) faces Democrat Randy Villegas in the Nov. 3 general election in California's 22nd Congressional District. ​

Valadao is a farmer and business owner from Hanford who served in the California State Assembly before coming to Congress, where he sits on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration.

Villegas is an educator and community organizer from Kern County who was the first in his family to earn a Ph.D. and has worked as a college professor and mentor.

Both advanced from the June 2 top-two primary, where David Valadao, the incumbent, took 40.7 percent of the vote and Randy Villegas took 32.4 percent.

What They Stand For

Valadao has supported reforms intended to lower health-care costs, saying on his official House website that "high quality, affordable health care should be available to Americans of every income level." He's also supported:

  • Securing reliable water access for the Central Valley's agricultural economy,
  • Strengthening agricultural programs, expanding job opportunities, and lowering food costs; and
  • Developing technologies to reduce pollution while protecting clean air, water, and the environment.

Villegas has proposed universal childcare and family leave as ways to ease the cost of raising a family, according to his campaign website. He's also supported:

  • Universal health care, a position he has said was shaped by growing up on Medicaid,
  • Comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship, while also calling for a secure border, according to Guides.vote; and
  • Expanding access to higher education and mentorship opportunities.

The Money Behind the Race

Through June 30, Valadao had raised about $4.9 million and had about $3.4 million in the bank, nearly six times as much cash as Villegas, who had raised about $2.6 million and had about $572,000 on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Outside groups have spent about $2 million supporting Randy Villegas, including about $450,000 from Leaders We Deserve, and about $2.3 million opposing him, including about $758,000 from New Democrat Majority.

Spending opposing David Valadao totals about $451,000, including about $437,000 from 314 Action Fund, while spending supporting him totals about $178,000, including about $133,000 from CLF.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rates the race a Toss-up as of Oct. 9; Sabato's Crystal Ball rates it Lean Democratic as of Oct. 11; and Inside Elections rates it a Toss-up as of Oct. 2. On Kalshi, traders gave Democrats, whose nominee is Villegas, an 88.12% chance of winning the seat as of Oct. 14.

Valadao has won the district in each of the last two cycles, taking about 52 percent in 2022 and about 53 percent in 2024. Statewide, Democrats won 40 of California's 52 U.S. House seats in 2022. In the 2024 presidential race, Democrat Kamala Harris carried California with about 58 percent of the vote.

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