In summary
Randy Villegas, who earned endorsements from Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, defied political odds by winning a traditionally conservative district as a progressive Democrat. He defeats Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, the hand-picked choice of Democratic leadership.
Democratic college professor Randy Villegas will take on Republican Rep. David Valadao in the Central Valley district that Democrats have made a target in their national campaign to win the House.
Villegas overcame Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, a physician and moderate Democrat backed by state and national party leaders, in what amounts to a stunning rebuke of establishment politics and in defiance of conventional wisdom on how to win swing districts.
Villegas outperformed Bains — who represents much of the district in the Legislature — winning with more than 32% of the vote on Tuesday, despite being a political newcomer. He joins Valadao, who was already declared a winner in the top-two race, on the November ballot.
Democrats are yearning to capture Valadao’s seat in the Bakersfield-centered 22nd District, which is considered a must-win as the party pushes to retake control of Congress and break Republicans’ vice grip on Washington, D.C..
By advancing Villegas to November, Central Valley voters signaled they’re ready to try a different brand of Democratic politics.
In an interview with CalMatters, Villegas said he was proud of the number of doors knocked on, dollars raised and votes secured — all without taking corporate PAC money.
“It’s clear that voters are looking for change, and voters are looking for someone who’s actually going to represent the valley’s values and not somebody who’s going to continuously sell us out to corporate interests and to billionaire donors,” he said. “This seat is not for sale.”
For months, liberal activists butted heads over which kind of Democrat could woo enough working-class and Latino voters in the conservative-leaning district.
Democrats in battleground seats have typically sought to promote centrist candidates like Bains — known as a “Valleycrat” in California’s Central Valley — who they believed could win over Republicans and independents.
Yet that strategy has so far failed to work against Valadao. In 2022 and 2024, Democrats bet on former Assemblymember Rudy Salas, a moderate like Bains who frequently butted heads with his liberal colleagues in Sacramento. Both times, he lost.
As the cost of living soars and Americans grow increasingly skeptical of incumbents who embody the status quo, candidates like Villegas who embrace an anti-corruption, anti-corporate and anti-establishment brand of economic populism have surged in popularity. Villegas drew support from the left-leaning Working Families Party, whose goal is advancing policies and candidates that boost working- and middle-class Americans.
Voters also rejected the more than $2.2 million in anti-Villegas messaging by outside expenditure groups in the campaign’s final month. Federal campaign finance records show several groups that spent money against Villegas, including the AIPAC-aligned Democratic Majority for Israel, several super PACs affiliated with the House Democrats’ centrist caucuses, and the Congressional Leadership Fund, the House GOP’s affiliated super PAC.
Villegas ran an engaging campaign that got voters excited to cast ballots for him, largely because he was so accessible via town halls, candidate forums and door-to-door canvassing, said Kevin Liao, a Democratic strategist who is not involved in the race.
“You’ve gotta get people motivated to show up and pull your lever, and that’s what he did,” Liao said.
Like Valadao, Bains refused to debate Villegas, declined invitations to forums and spurned press interviews. She declined multiple CalMatters interview requests, opting instead to send written statements via a spokesperson.
Bains’ campaign spokesperson did not respond to multiple calls and texts seeking comment for this story.
“Are you offering folks a sort of energetic, more ambitious vision for what government can offer? Or are you merely saying, ‘Hey, we have to win this seat and defeat a Republican’?” Liao said. “I think the voters, at least in that district, spoke pretty clearly.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign arm for House Democratic leadership which had endorsed Bains, immediately embraced Villegas as the party’s nominee and declared it was “full steam ahead” toward November.
Other California congressional primary winners
In the San Diego-based 48th District, California’s only other toss-up seat, Republican County Supervisor Jim Desmond will face Democratic San Diego City Council member Marni von Wilpert in November. Von Wilpert boxed out fellow Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar, who had twice previously run against retiring Rep. Darrell Issa.
After more than 20 years in Congress, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s name will not be on San Francisco’s November ballot. Pelosi’s chosen successor — San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan — will go head to head with state Sen. Scott Wiener for the chance to lock down San Francisco’s safe blue seat.
The primary results were a mixed bag for several young upstart candidates who ran on platforms of generational change.
In Los Angeles’ wealthy northwest suburbs, Democratic challenger Jake Levine fell short in his bid to take on aging incumbent Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman who has represented the district for close to 30 years. Based on the votes counted so far, Levine earned only about 15% of the vote. Voters in the liberal 32nd District will likely get a sleepy race between Sherman and Republican Larry Thompson.
In Northern California wine country, Democratic Rep. Mike Thompson easily secured his spot in the November general election but his challenger is not yet determined. He will face either Democrat Eric Jones, a young former venture capitalist or Republican Ray Rihele.
Sacramento’s suburbs will see a matchup between Rep. Kevin Kiley, who left the Republican Party to run as an independent, and former Democratic state Sen. Dr. Richard Pan, The Associated Press determined Tuesday.
And in the heart of Sacramento, Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui, will face progressive city councilwoman Mai Vang, a younger challenger backed by the progressive Working Families Party. The Associated Press called the race for Matsui on election night, but as more ballots were processed in the following week, Vang surpassed her as the top vote-getter.
via CalMatters https://ift.tt/WRCXLcl
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