To: Interested Parties
From: Anna Elsasser, Regional Press Secretary
Date: June 9, 2026
Subject: The Case Against David Valadao
David Valadao has spent his career trying to convince Central Valley voters he was different from the rest of his party. But after years in Washington, Valley families see the truth: when the pressure is on, Valadao folds to his national party bosses every single time. Whether it’s ripping away health care, slashing food assistance, backing tariffs hurting Valley agriculture, or refusing to stand up to extreme immigration crackdowns harming local workers and businesses, Valadao consistently chooses Washington Republicans who are funding his campaign over the people he was elected to represent.
Valadao’s cruel disconnect has left him more vulnerable than ever. His approval is deeply underwater overall and with Latino voters, and even Republican strategists admit his vote to gut Medi-Cal will define this election. In the most Medicaid-reliant district in the country, Valadao cast a deciding vote to strip health care from more than 68,000 of his constituents – including up to 87% of children and the 82% of Medi-Cal recipients who are Latino.
Valley voters have a clear alternative in Randy Villegas. Raised in Kern County as the son of Mexican immigrants, Villegas grew up seeing both the promise and the struggles of the Central Valley firsthand. A Bakersfield native, Villegas was shaped by the district’s local schools, from Golden Valley High, to Bakersfield College, to CSUB before attending UC Santa Cruz. He has spent his career working at his family’s auto shop and as an educator, organizing and advocating for working families – fighting for a government that serves the Valley over billionaires and corporations.
While David Valadao answers only to Washington Republicans and his campaign donors, Randy Villegas fights for working people and has pledged to not take a dime of corporate PAC money. The last time Valadao attacked the Central Valley’s health care in a Trump midterm he lost his seat, and in a district that shifted from Trump +6 to a more Democratic seat after Proposition 50 while remaining heavily Latino and working class, that contrast will prove to be career-ending for Valadao.
Valadao Promised to Protect the Valley’s Health Care, Then Cast the Deciding Vote to Gut It
David Valadao knew exactly how devastating Medi-Cal cuts would be for the Central Valley, and voted for them anyway to stay in his party bosses’ good graces. For months, Valadao promised he would not support legislation that “risks leaving [his constituents] behind.” Last April, he signed a letter promising he would oppose a final package that reduced Medi-Cal coverage. A month later, he pledged on record not to support legislation harming his constituents’ health care. Then when it came time to vote he immediately caved, casting the deciding vote to strip health care from more than 68,000 constituents – the district with the highest share of Medicaid recipients in the country.
Valadao continued to lie to voters, falsely claiming his vote for the largest cut to Medicaid in history “protected” and “strengthen[ed]” Medicaid. He led more letters, and issued yet another hard-line statement promising to oppose Medicaid cuts. Then caved again – voting yes on final passage after he was summoned to the White House.
Valley voters see Valadao for exactly what he’s become: a D.C. politician who will say whatever is politically convenient, before falling in line with Donald Trump and Republican leadership the moment they need his vote. CA-22 is one of the most medically underserved regions in the country, with chronic provider shortages, struggling rural hospitals, and some of the worst health outcomes in the state. Up to 87% of children in the district rely on Medi-Cal. 82% of recipients are Latino. Valadao’s vote to decimate the region’s Medicaid funding threatens roughly $90 million in hospital funding and puts additional strain on rural hospitals and clinics already on the brink. Providers across the Valley have said cuts could devastate local infrastructure and eliminate access to care for working families.
The last time health care dominated Valadao’s reelection campaign, he lost his seat after voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In total, Valadao has voted over 30 times to weaken or dismantle the ACA, repeatedly siding with pharmaceutical companies and special interests over Valley families. Now, after years of trying to run from that record, Valadao has once again tied himself directly to one of the most politically toxic Republican health care agendas in history, voting with Donald Trump 98% of the time while Valley families pay the price.
Randy Villegas grew up on Medi-Cal, believes every Californian has a right to affordable health care, and will fight to lower prescription drug prices and expand access to affordable care in the Valley. While Valadao protects insurance companies and pharmaceutical corporations selling out the Valley, Randy is speaking directly with families forced to ration medication, delay treatment, or go into debt simply for getting sick.
Bottom line: Valadao voted to gut health care for the Valley. Randy Villegas is running to guarantee it.
Valadao Voted to Take Food off the Table for Central Valley Families
One in four families in Valadao’s district rely on food assistance every month to afford groceries and put food on the table for their families. Yet Valadao backed the largest SNAP cuts in history, threatening food assistance for more than 60,000 households in his district. Food banks across California are already bracing for increased demand as working families struggle with rising prices. Yet, Valadao is more concerned with staging food bank photo ops and pretending to champion affordability. Valadao even tried to mislead voters, saying “time is running out” for vulnerable families struggling to keep food on the table – after he was the one who cast a deciding vote for the policies causing that outcome. Valadao’s votes to slash health care and food assistance served one key purpose: to give massive tax giveaways to billionaires, wealthy campaign donors, and large corporations, including more than $1 trillion in tax breaks for the top 1% of Americans. Valadao’s priorities could not be clearer: cuts for working families, giveaways for billionaires.
Valadao’s own words only reinforce how out of touch he has become. He defended his votes as a chance to “vote [his] conscience,” that “these are really good policies for…Kern County,” “reasonable reforms,” and “we’re doing the right thing.” He even said if people “have no excuse not to get off the couch and get a job,” their benefits would “obviously…be at risk.” In a district where families are struggling to afford everything from groceries and rent to gas and health care amid some of the highest unemployment rates in the nation – those comments are disqualifying.
Randy understands the need to tackle Valadao’s affordability crisis because he lived the experience growing up on food assistance, and sees it every day in his community. He is focused on lowering costs for working families and standing up to corporations driving up prices. Randy refuses to take corporate PAC money, while Valadao has received hundreds of thousands from corporate interests.
Valadao’s Economic Policies Driving Up Costs and Hurting Valley Farmers
The Central Valley feeds America, producing 25% of the nation’s food supply. Yet Valadao has repeatedly backed reckless economic policies driving up costs, destabilizing markets, and crushing the very farmers and ranchers he claims to represent. Valadao voted nine separate times to protect price-spiking tariffs costing working families $1,700 on average last year, and likely to cost them $2,500 this year, all while closing export markets critical to the Valley’s agriculture. Almonds, pistachios, and dairy – central to the region’s economy – watched exports to China collapse by an estimated 64%, or nearly $1 billion, last year alone. Farmers across the Valley have warned the instability could push already struggling operations over the edge.
Valadao has also tried to dismiss the real impact of the president’s war-of-choice in Iran that is driving up everyday costs for Valley producers. Farmers, ranchers, and small businesses are paying more for fuel, fertilizer, equipment, and transportation, while shipping costs have surged dramatically — in some cases tripling to around $7,500. Valadao also stayed silent as the administration moved to increase beef imports from Argentina, despite fierce opposition from ranchers and cattle producers. California’s cattle sector produces $5 billion a year and is one of the largest employers in the Central Valley in addition to being home to family-owned and operated farms over generations. Yet, Valadao refused to join fellow House Republicans opposing the policy, even as industry leaders warned it would undercut American ranchers during a historic cattle supply shortage. One group characterized it as “a betrayal of the American rancher.”
For a politician who brands himself as a dairy farmer and agricultural advocate, Valadao has dramatically failed to stand up for Valley agriculture. When asked to choose between protecting Central Valley producers or protecting his standing in Washington, Valadao sides with Washington every time.
Randy believes representation means showing up and fighting for the people who power the Valley economy – farmworkers, small farmers, laborers, and working families struggling to stay afloat – not the politicians and corporations profiting off of their labor. It’s why he has the backing of Dolores Huerta, the California Teachers Association, National Nurses United, the United Auto Workers, and a growing grassroots coalition across the district.
Valadao Refuses to Stand Up to Extreme Immigration Policies Devastating the Valley
The Central Valley’s economy relies on immigrant families. David Valadao knows that better than anyone. Yet when the Trump Administration unleashed aggressive, unlawful immigration crackdowns targeting Valley communities, Valadao folded without a fight. He stayed silent while Kern County became the testing ground for Trump’s extreme deportation agenda, doing nothing when Border Patrol agents conducted sweeping operations across CA-22, detaining law-abiding workers and families, often without identifying themselves.
The economic and community consequences in the Valley were immediate. Farmworkers afraid to report to work. Parents stopped seeking medical care for their children. Businesses struggled with worsening labor shortages. In some Valley communities, economic activity reportedly dropped by as much as 20–30% amid widespread raids and enforcement operations and more than 1.2 million immigrants left the labor force in the first half of 2025 alone. In California, at least half of the state’s farmworkers are undocumented. That means these crackdowns operated as a direct threat to the backbone of the Valley economy.
Through it all, Valadao refused to meaningfully push back. Instead, he defended aggressive enforcement tactics and echoed Trump’s rhetoric on immigration even as fear spread among his own constituents. Most revealingly, Valadao refused to condemn Trump’s deeply unpopular attack on birthright citizenship. In fact, he defended “making some changes” to the constitutional right generations of American families have relied on and overwhelmingly support. It’s no wonder Valadao is hemorrhaging support with Latino voters over his broken promises on health care, immigration, and affordability.
As the son of Mexican immigrants and a lifelong son of the Valley, Randy understands how personal these attacks are for Valley families. And while Valadao sat on the sidelines, Randy was actively organizing in the community to do something about it. He has strongly condemned the administration’s indiscriminate raids and deportation tactics, calling them unconstitutional and harmful to both families and the region’s economy. Randy has committed to holding ICE accountable and working on real immigration reform to protect Central Valley and workers.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
POLITICO: Dems think now is their chance with Valadao [POLITICO, 7/11/25]
New York Times: Latino Support for Trump Is Up for Grabs in California Farm Country [New York Times, 3/26/26]
“In California, a Central Valley House race where an incumbent Republican is facing significant headwinds will test the depths of Latino discontent.
Interviews with voters, strategists, community leaders and elected officials make it clear Mr. Valadao has a serious battle on his hands this year.
Sacramento Bee: Rep. Valadao faces re-election challenge as Medi-Cal cuts affect Central Valley [Sacramento Bee, 3/24/26]
Residents have characterized Valadao’s vote as betrayal, one that they argue should cost him a seat in Congress.
‘His vote really twisted my decision to never let this guy in office ever again.’
CalMatters: California Rep. David Valadao voted for Medi-Cal cuts. Will voters hold it against him? [CalMatters, 2/2/2026]
His…Democratic opponents are already arguing that Valadao’s vote…which came after he suggested he wouldn’t support cutting Medicaid, amounts to a breach of trust that should cost him his job.
He ‘lied to our faces,’ Villegas said… ‘We have somebody in office who is willing to try and do or say whatever is politically convenient to save his own butt.’
Republican strategists agree this will be the most difficult reelection that incumbent House Republicans have faced since the last time Trump was in office, even for someone like Valadao who has consistently outperformed as a Republican in a Democratic-leaning district.
‘I do think this is the year that Valadao is in deep trouble,” said Mike Madrid, Republican political consultant… ‘Nine times out of 10, I don’t say that. But this year is going to look a lot like 2018 — probably more.’”
NBC News: Rep. David Valadao battles backlash in his swing district after voting for Medicaid cuts that hit close to home [NBC News, 7/26/25]
Fresno Bee: Rep. David Valadao proves his empty vows to protect Medicaid were all lies | Opinion [Fresno Bee, 7/7/25]
“At a height of 6-feet-4, Rep. David Valadao can cast a giant presence in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, he doesn’t measure up when it comes to looking out for the best interests of his community.
That’s because on Thursday morning, the Republican representing a heavily Medicaid-dependent district in the Central Valley cast a vote in support of a “Big Beautiful Bill”
Valadao, who represents a heavily Latino district, had no profile in courage on this bill. He chose Trump over the people he represents.”
CNN: How a vote for Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ put Republican David Valadao in danger of losing his seat [CNN, 5/15/26]
“Since Valadao was first elected in 2012, Democrats have…been able to beat him once: in 2018, after he voted for his party’s failed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
This year, Democrats are betting voters in the district… will be equally frustrated with his vote in 2025 for President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending cuts legislation, also known as the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act.’
‘I’ve told people from day one — cancer, valley fever, diabetes doesn’t give a shit who you voted for in the last election,” Villegas told CNN. “It does not care what your party ID is, but we know that everybody gets sick, which is why we need health care for all.’
Bakersfield Californian: Labor leader Huerta endorses Democrat Randy Villegas in 22nd congressional District race [Bakersfield Californian, 11/19/25]
“Longtime civil rights leader and valley activist Dolores Huerta threw her support behind 22nd Congressional District candidate Randy Villegas during a news conference in southeast Bakersfield early Wednesday morning.
‘We rely on Medicare, rely on MediCal,’ Huerta said. ‘And we have somebody in the Congress right now who literally voted in the Congress to hurt our community.’ […]
KVPR: Valley hospitals, clinics brace for financial ‘tsunami’ threatening health care access [KVPR, 2/10/26]
LA Times: California farmers were already struggling. Then came the Iran war [LA Times, 3/29/26]
LA Times: California farmers brace for consequences as Trump’s tariffs bring economic upheaval [LA Times, 4/13/25]
Bakersfield Now: Tariff policy sparks concern over economic impact on Central Valley [Bakersfield Now, 4/6/25]
GV Wire: Trump Tariffs Have Valley Farmers on Edge With Billions of Dollars at Stake [GV Wire, 3/4/25]
PATH TO VICTORY
Randy Villegas enters this race with a clear contrast to the failed politics of David Valadao and Republicans in Washington. Raised in Kern County and deeply rooted in the Central Valley, Villegas’s life story and economic message are uniquely positioned to connect with the working-class and Latino voters who will decide this race.
After the passage of Proposition 50, CA-22 shifted from Trump +6 to Trump +2 while adding thousands of Democratic voters concentrated in Fresno County. The district is more than 64% Latino and overwhelmingly working class – an electorate increasingly turning against Republicans over affordability, health care, and economic concerns. Valadao, Trump, and Republicans continue losing support with key Latino voters as economic dissatisfaction rises and broken promises mount.
Everything about this environment points in the same direction: David Valadao is weaker than ever in a more Democratic district and Randy Villegas offers voters a working-class, grassroots alternative capable of building the coalition needed to win in CA-22. Early returns already show Democrats making up a commanding majority in the primary with Valadao – 59% and rising, which would be the highest vote share for Democratic candidates ever. Since 2018, Republicans have never improved their share of the electorate from the primary to the general with Valadao on the ballot. Valadao barely broke 40% – his worst all-time performance and a flashing siren for November.
David Valadao spent years convincing Valley voters he was different from the rest of the Republican Party. But when the stakes were highest, he sided with Trump and Washington Republicans over the people he was elected to represent. Randy Villegas is running to restore accountability, lower costs for working families, and fight for the Central Valley. He has lived the American Dream that has drawn hard-working immigrants to California for years, and will fight to protect it for the next generation. |
