Visit our Elections page throughout the day Tuesday, June 2, for the latest news, results and more as the California 2026 Primary gets underway.
When California redrew its congressional district boundaries several House seats had the potential to flip, including the Central Valley’s District 22.
Tuesday’s Primary is a important factor in deciding if Democrats will win back control of the House in November.
Two democrats are attempting to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. David Valadao — Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains and Visalia Unified School Board Trustee Randy Villegas.
District 22 covers the southern San Joaquin Valley including Kern, Kings and Tulare counties.
Candidates
David Valadao (R-incumbent): The Hanford native was first elected to represent California’s 30th State Assembly District in 2010. In 2012, Valadao was elected to represent California’s 21st Congressional District, which included Kings County and portions of Fresno, Kern, and Tulare counties. Due to redistricting, Valadao was reelected to serve his fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives District 22, which includes Kings, Kern and Tulare counties.
Jasmeet Bains (D): Bains was raised in Delano, where she later practiced medicine. In 2022, she was elected to represent Assembly District 35. She lists her priorities as health care, affordability and economic opportunity.
Randy Villegas (D): The Visalia Unified School Board member was born in Bakersfield and is a career educator. He said he is running for Congress “to stand up for hard working families who are working hard but falling through the cracks, struggling to find jobs that pay a living wage and afford health care costs.”
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives run for election every two years, putting all 52 California seats on the 2026 primary ballot.
Polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2.
Visalia Times-Delta will update this article as election results are released.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: California District 22 primary race tests House control
Reporting by Sheyanne N Romero and Steve Pastis, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
