Episode

California's Only Toss-Up House Race

Podcast
Political Breakdown
Published
May 28, 2026
Duration seconds
1887
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://next.kqed.org/news/12085418
Audio
https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC5296589728.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/political-breakdown-683875/episodes/california-s-only-toss-up-house-race
Markdown
/podcast/political-breakdown-683875/california-s-only-toss-up-house-race.md

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Summary

Democrats have long had their sights on Congressional District 22 in the Central Valley, where Republican Rep. David Valadao has managed to hold onto the Democratic-leaning district for most of the past 13 years. Cook Political Report lists it as the only toss-up House race in the state after last year’s redistricting measure flipped five Republican-held seats blue. Now, two Democrats are competing for the chance to face Valadao in the November general election: moderate state Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains and progressive college professor Randy Villegas. CalMatters politics reporter Maya C. Miller joins Scott, Marisa and Guy to break down the key differences between the candidates, their campaign attacks and the issues that matter most to voters in the district. Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠, delivered straight to your inbox. For election information including our voter guide, go to kqed.org/voterguide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices