WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: Dr. Jasmeet Bains is a Serious Threat to David Valadao

A family physician, State Assemblymember, and proven vote-getter who consistently outperforms the top of the ticket, Dr. Bains has built the broadest coalition in the race, earning support from labor, health care advocates, law enforcement, and grassroots supporters focused on winning this critical Valley seat and taking back the House Majority. 

In its new pre-election analysis, Cook Political Report put it simply: “Valadao will have a competitive race this November. But with Bains, Democrats would be in a stronger position.” 

DCCC Spokesperson Anna Elsasser: 
“Dr. Jasmeet Bains has spent her life caring for families, serving her community, and delivering results for the Central Valley. As a physician, she understands exactly what’s at stake when politicians like David Valadao vote to rip health care away from the families she treats every day. That’s why she’s earned the support of the Valley. And it’s why national Republicans have worked so hard to stop her – because they know she can win.” 

Read What They Are Saying:

Cook Political Report: 

• State Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains represents over 60% of this district and has carved out a reputation as a…“Valleycrat” willing to vote with Republicans on energy policies and taxes.
• That paid off in her last election — she won by 15 points in a district that Kamala Harris carried by half a point.
• …Valadao will have a competitive race this November. But with Bains, Democrats would be in a stronger position.

HuffPost: 

• “I consider myself a physician that’s working to increase access to health care,” [Dr. Bains] said. “I consider myself a person that has always worked to protect vulnerable communities…”
• The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee…[notes] her deep roots in the Central Valley and the fact that she already represents a portion of the district in the state legislature. They also pointed to Republican meddling in the race…“They know she can defeat Valadao.” 
• The fact that Bains is a doctor also plays to a weakness for Valadao. The district has the highest proportion of constituents on Medicaid of any in Congress. Valadao was one of several…House Republicans who warned party leaders last year not to use Medicaid cuts to help pay for tax cuts, only to vote for the legislation anyway. Millions of people are projected to lose Medicaid coverage in the coming years as a result.
• Bains said Valadao’s vote was what pushed her to declare her candidacy. “I saw him vote for it, and that day I decided I needed to do something,” Bains told HuffPost. “I created my career around taking care of vulnerable patients, and that day I saw it being ripped away.”

LA Times: 

• Bains is campaigning on her experience as a physician in a region known for its poor environmental and health outcomes. After medical school, she returned to Kern County, where she completed her residency and continued working at clinics that primarily serve low-income patients in the region.
• She decided to run for the seat after Valadao voted in favor of H.R. 1…that cut nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid funding to pay for tax cuts, which Bains described as a “betrayal.”
• It’s the reason labor unions…are backing Bains. [SEIU Leader Riko Mendez] said Bains understands the region’s unique health challenges and has used her perch in the Legislature to address them, including pushing for funding to research and treat valley fever…
• “We think her experience, her profile, her message is one that we agree with, and that has the best chance of winning…against Valadao,” he said.

San Francisco Chronicle: 

• Assembly Member Jasmeet Bains[’]…background as a family physician offers a compelling contrast to Valadao’s vote…to cut access to Medicaid…More Medicaid enrollees live in this agricultural, predominantly Latino district than almost anywhere else in the country.
• “She is a doctor in the world where Valadao took medical care away from a whole lot of people,” said Robin Fernandez, who is involved with Democratic organizations in Kern County and backs Bains. “She is a candidate who comes into this with a white coat.”
• …[The DCCC points to] her personal narrative as a doctor, broad support from labor unions and law enforcement in the district, and a strong record in elected office. She outran Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris by nearly 9 percentage points in 2024.
• Nunez, who identifies as an independent, said he supported Valadao in the past because he delivered for the Central Valley…but that changed with the vote to cut Medicaid access… he is backing Bains.
• “She’s voting right for the people, not what the party is asking her to,” Nunez said…

KEES24:

• Bains currently serves in the State Assembly, representing parts of Kern County. She also works in a clinic in Delano as a doctor. She says those experiences have prepared her to run, while showing her what the people of the Valley need.
• “What I’m hearing on the ground as I’m talking to voters is ‘when will we finally have a leader in health care?’ That’s not going to talk about it politically but actually do something to advance health care.” – Dr. Bains
• Bains said if elected, she won’t vote on just party lines – something she’s already done in the Assembly.

KVPR: 

• [Dr. Bains] says she listens to her constituents, many of whom voted for President Trump…“The people that represent the Valley understand the importance of standing up for the Valley, not their party,” she said.
• Democratic strategist Andrew Godinich says he understands why the [party] supports her: In 2024, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris lost in Bains’ district, and yet Bains won – by a long shot. Harris earned 49% of votes, while Bains earned nearly 58% of votes – nearly 9 percentage points higher.
• “When you have a candidate who has shown they have an affinity with the independent voters and Democrats who have been turned off by what they’re seeing from Democrats in Washington, it’s important to give that candidate the resources and the backing to win,” he said.
• After all, he stressed, the party’s main goal is winning back the House this November.

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