| The Bakersfield Californian editorial board is recommending Dr. Jasmeet Bains in the race for CA-22, citing her long record of legislative results, clear fit for the district, and proven ability to “prioritize her district and her constituents’ wellbeing, rather than her party’s.”
The board also underscores Dr. Bains’ strength on the defining issue in the race: health care. After David Valadao voted for legislation that slashes Medi-Cal and threatens health coverage for tens of thousands of Valley families – The Californian notes that the “most robust contest will be between Republican incumbent David Valadao and Democrat Jasmeet Bains” on affordability and health care.
DCCC Spokesperson Anna Elsasser:
“Dr. Jasmeet Bains has earned the trust of Central Valley families because she’s spent her life fighting for them. While David Valadao sided with Washington politicians to gut health care, Dr. Bains has never stopped serving the Valley. That’s exactly the kind of independent leadership voters in California’s 22nd District are looking for.”
Read more here:
- Bains is the better fit for the district…She repeatedly has proven her willingness to prioritize her district and her constituents’ wellbeing, rather than her party’s.
- She will not “reliably” fall in line with her political party – as we see so many congressional Republicans and Democrats are doing.
- “I’m faithful to my district, not a party or label,” Bains told the news outlet CalMatters. “I didn’t study politics. I studied my community through the lens of being a doctor. And what the Central Valley wants is people who are going to put them first in Washington.”
- The daughter of Indian immigrants, who grew up in Delano, after graduating from medical school she returned home to complete her residency serving low-income residents with Clinica Sierra Vista. On weekends and during legislative recesses, she continues practicing medicine.
- “I never intended to run for Congress,” Bains told The Californian. “I wanted to fix the problems I see with the state’s failures to combat fentanyl, and I wanted to build a medical school in Kern County. But then Washington passed the largest cut to healthcare in American history.”
- About 68% of 22nd District residents rely on Medi-Cal, or Medicaid, which congressional Republicans cut with the passage of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. The removal of subsidies for the Affordable Care Act has sent premiums skyrocketing. Valadao voted for the bill.
- At a meeting last month, Kern County administrators warned the Board of Supervisors that 50,000 county residents could lose their health coverage and turn to public services for care. The county’s cost for providing for the medically indigent was estimated to be between $50 million and $90 million.
- Affordability and medical care will be huge issues as the race to decide who will represent the 22nd Congressional District heads into the November election. The most robust contest will be between Republican incumbent David Valadao and Democrat Jasmeet Bains.
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