Continuing Tuesday night’s disappointing pattern, Democrat Randy Villegas has defeated Republican incumbent David Valadao in California’s 22nd Congressional District.
Yes, this is California, but believe it or not, this race was supposed to be competitive, even after the district’s boundaries were redrawn as part of the state’s redistricting effort earlier this year. Polling generally showed the Democrat with a narrow lead, though some surveys suggested a much wider gap. Valadao, however, had a history of fending off strong Democrat challengers.
On Tuesday night, that luck finally ran out, as Democrats flipped yet another Republican-held seat.
This victory belongs to the voters, hundreds of volunteers, tens of thousands of grassroots donors, and working families who believed we could build something better together. Central Valley, we're going to Washington – together! https://t.co/SOJi1BhnrZ
— Randy Villegas (@Villegas_CA22) November 4, 2026
Randy @Villegas_CA22's bold progressive campaign showed voters he’ll work for the Central Valley, not his corporate donors. Leaders We Deserve is beyond proud of our work in both the primary and general elections to support Randy Villegas, a true fighter for the working class. https://t.co/47rJUYb15a
— Leaders We Deserve (@Leaderswedeserv) November 4, 2026
🚨 JUST IN: Randy Villegas WINS California House District 22! DDHQ published this projection at 1:34 AM ET. WIN THE NEXT HOUSE FIGHT. California is called. Republicans need House wins elsewhere. https://t.co/mooBfmaoF7
— Aaron Bacus (@AaronBacus) November 4, 2026
With just 60 percent of the vote counted, Villegas holds a commanding lead, taking 66 percent to his Republican opponent’s 33 percent, twice as many votes and a margin of 33 percentage points.
While Villegas has denied being a socialist, he has done little more than reject the label.
The Democrat candidate was proudly endorsed by progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, and his platform is indistinguishable from that of a member of the progressive wing of Congress or any DSA-backed candidate across the country. He supports Medicare for All, universal childcare, and a path to citizenship for illegal aliens.