Democrats compete in California Central Valley district primary to challenge GOP incumbent
The Story
Two Democratic candidates are competing in a June 2 primary in California’s Central Valley for the chance to unseat Republican Rep. David Valadao. Randy Villegas and Jasmeet Bains are both seeking the Democratic nomination in a district Valadao has won in six of the last seven elections.
Key Facts
- The primary election is scheduled for June 2 in California.
- The district is described as purple.
- Incumbent Republican David Valadao has won six of the last seven congressional elections in this district.
- The top two vote-getters in the primary advance to the general election regardless of party.
- Democratic candidate Randy Villegas is a political science professor and serves on a local school board. He refuses campaign contributions from corporations and supports universal health care and suspending federal gas taxes. He is endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
- Democratic candidate Jasmeet Bains is a California State Assembly Member and a family doctor. She has been endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). In the state legislature, she voted for abortion rights and public school funding but voted against Democratic redistricting and an effort to restrict oil industry profits.
- Both candidates criticize Valadao for voting to slash Medicaid funding, noting the district has the highest Medicaid enrollment in the country.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
No open questions identified in the source article.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Randy Villegas: Democratic congressional candidate, political science professor, school board member
- Jasmeet Bains: Democratic congressional candidate, California State Assembly Member, family doctor
- David Valadao: incumbent Republican Representative
- Andrew Godinich: Democratic strategist
- Ivy Cargile: political science professor at California State University, Bakersfield
- Sen. Bernie Sanders: endorser of Villegas
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: endorser of Villegas
- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC): endorser of Bains
Sources: NPR
