| David Valadao is in the fight for his political life.
After voting to rip away health care and food assistance from tens of thousands of Central Valley families and breaking his promises to voters on affordability, Valadao is forced to defend his vote in a majority Latino district with the highest Medicaid recipient rate in the country.
Despite his attempts to lie to voters about his “independence,” Valadao’s voting record tells a very clear story, and voters – even those who previously supported him, are shifting towards Randy Villegas.
“Valadao has already lost Elena Van Overbeek. Although the Republican law enforcement retiree has voted for him before, she’s disappointed that prices haven’t come down and she’s worried that health care cuts supported by Valadao ‘would hurt too many people.’
She plans to cross the aisle to back Villegas.”
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AP: After years of defying the odds, California’s David Valadao faces new test as Latinos turn on Trump
- …Latinos have grown disenchanted with President Donald Trump, especially as the price of gas, fertilizer and groceries keep climbing while funding for healthcare services is declining. It’s Republican lawmakers like Valado who could pay the price.
- Two out of three voters in Valadao’s district are Hispanic, and AP-NORC polling shows that Trump’s national approval rating among Hispanic adults fell by 18 percentage points between March 2025 and July 2026. By comparison, approval among U.S. adults overall dropped 9 points.
- At a town hall in Bakersfield…hands shot up in the audience when Villegas asked how many people used Medicaid or crossed the border to get less expensive medical care and drugs.
- “This should not be happening in the richest country in the history of the world,” said Villegas…”Nobody should have to choose between groceries and seeing a doctor.”
- In a year when control of the House could come down to a single district, Valadao can’t afford to lose voters like Scott Alcoser. A parts manager at a farm equipment retailer in Hanford… Alcoser is a Republican who has backed Valadao in previous elections.
- But this year he’s undecided. Alcoser said he wants to hear more from Valadao about how he will “care for the community” at a time when working-class families are struggling.
- According to census data, nearly one in four people in the district live below the poverty line.
- The son of Mexican immigrants who grew up on Medicaid, Villegas accuses Valadao of betraying the district by voting last year for Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” which delivered $4.5 trillion in tax breaks but also cuts more than $1 trillion over a decade from federal health care and food assistance
- Valadao’s district has one of the highest Medicaid enrollment rates in the nation, and [estimates say] that as many as 57,000 of his constituents could lose coverage once new requirements go into effect.
- “[CA-22] has pretty much everything you could imagine working against the Republican. The fundamentals of the race point toward an anti-incumbent mood based off of souring economics.” [Mike Madrid, Republican strategist]
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