Political newcomer and progressive Democrat Randy Villegas defeated Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) on Wednesday afternoon, successfully taking advantage of California’s redistricting push, which saw the incumbent’s district redrawn in favor of Democrats.
Villegas won with 66% of the vote compared to Valadao’s 34%, as of 1:17 p.m. on Wednesday. Just 57% of the vote was tabulated at the time of the race call.
While he largely withstood challenges since entering Congress in 2013, aside from his 2018 reelection loss, Valadao faced a new set of challenges this election cycle due to voters’ approval of California Proposition 50 last year. California’s 22nd Congressional District, represented by Valadao since 2023, is a competitive swing district. He previously represented California’s 21st District.
Valadao was the last standing Republican member of Congress who voted to impeach President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. A handful of the 10 retired, such as Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), who exits Congress at the end of this term, while others, such as ex-Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, were defeated by Trump-backed challengers.
The Cook Political Report changed the race rating from “lean Republican” to “toss-up” last November after redistricting was completed statewide.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee considered Valadao as “one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents” this year based on a race rating from a nonpartisan news outlet. He was a frequent target of the DCCC but was something of a white whale, proving tough to beat in blue-leaning districts. Valadao, however, did lose in the 2018 blue wave before returning to Congress two years later.
The House Republican also faced scrutiny for his deciding vote to cut funding for federal healthcare programs last year. At least 64% of his constituents rely on Medicaid, according to CalMatters.
Valadao also had to battle his party’s association with Trump, whose approval ratings continue to decline. This provided a window of opportunity for the congressman’s opponent to catch up.
Villegas, propelled by an endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and other sitting Democrats in Congress, secured second place behind Valadao in California’s open primary election on June 2. In the primary, Valadao garnered over 40% of the vote compared to Villegas’s 32%.
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There were not many polls for this House race, so it was unclear whether Valadao was going to coast to victory.
In 2024, Valadao won reelection by nearly 7 points against the Democratic challenger. In that same year, Trump carried Valadao’s district by nearly 2 points.