Washington — GOP Rep. David Valadao lost his re-election bid in California’s 22nd District, CBS News projected.
Valadao’s defeat against Democrat Randy Villegas makes him the last of the House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump during the January 6, 2021 riot at the United States Capitol only to lose their re-election or announce their retirement.
Valadao was first elected in 2012, but lost in 2018 when Democrats flipped more than 40 seats and regained control of the House. He won the seat from Democrats in 2020 and became one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Mr. Trump. Only two remain in Congress: Valadao and Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington, who is retiring.
Villegas, a progressive, edged out a moderate Democrat in the first two nonpartisan primaries to advance to the general election alongside Valadao. “Villegas” primary victory It was an embarrassing defeat for establishment Democrats, who intervened in the Central Valley campaign to bolster the moderate candidate.
The intraparty primary feud played out in a heavily Hispanic district — a key constituency that has shifted away from Democrats in 2024 — and occurred amid a broader debate within the Democratic Party over how progressives might fare in competitive races. But polls leading up to the midterm elections showed that Mr. Trump’s popularity among Latin American voters was plummeting.
California’s congressional map was also redrawn last year in response to Republican redistricting efforts in Texas mid-decade, making it more favorable to Democrats than in 2024.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who represents Louisiana, campaigned with Valadao in September, calling the contest one of the “three or four best races in America” in terms of its importance to Republicans retaining the majority in the House.
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