Democratic candidate Randy Villegas has defeated Republican incumbent David Valadao in California's 22nd congressional district, according to Al Jazeera, which called it one of the state's most closely watched congressional races and another win for the party's progressive left.
Villegas, an educator raised in the Central Valley as the son of Mexican immigrants, drew support from figures including Senator Bernie Sanders and campaigned against the rising cost of living, healthcare cuts and sweeping immigration raids. Speaking to supporters in Bakersfield on Tuesday evening, he credited his parents' sacrifices, called the result historic for the Central Valley and said the victory belonged not to him but to his backers.
Al Jazeera reported that the district's outcome fits a larger national story as votes came in on election night, with voters angry over surging prices and overreach in areas such as ICE raids. Polls had for months indicated the president was deeply unpopular, a trend tied to collapsing faith in his handling of the economy and the cost of living.
The report said Latino voters swung heavily back toward the Democrats, less than two years after the party's 2024 gains with them. A United Farm Workers member who knocked doors for Villegas told Al Jazeera that residents said they regretted their votes because the president had not done what he promised. Residents and officials said ICE raids sent shockwaves through immigrant and Latino communities. A Pew Research Center survey found 56 percent of US voters view ICE unfavourably.