Meet Kern's 2026 primary candidates: One-on-one interview with CD-22 hopeful Randy Villegas
Monday morning, Randy Villegas announced his run for California's 22nd Congressional District.
17 political reporter Jenny Huh sat down with Villegas for a local exclusive candidate profile.
CD-22 is one of the most contentious House races nationwide, each election cycle, without fail.
The big question for 2026 — will Villegas be the Democratic candidate?
'I am running for Congress in California's 22nd Congressional District,' Villegas announced to a cheering crowd Monday morning at the Liberty Bell in downtown Bakersfield.
The 30-year-old Democrat will be running against longtime incumbent Republican Congressman David Valadao in the 2026 Midterm Election.
'I think our communities work too damn hard to not have a representative who's going to stand up and speak on the issues, especially when those issues are going to impact us so dearly,' Villegas said in a sit-down interview with 17 News Monday morning, ahead of the big announcement.
Villegas, a professor at the College of the Sequoias and elected board member of the Visalia Unified School District, calls himself a product of public education.
'I was the first in my family to graduate from Bakersfield College, then CSUB, and then I earned a full-ride fellowship to UC Santa Cruz to get my PhD,' he said.
Villegas also described himself as a son of the Central Valley, son of Mexico immigrants and son of a working-class family that can represent working-class constituents.
Though no stranger to advocacy work, Villegas — in recent weeks — has been front and center of rallies protesting potential cuts to federal assistance programs like Medicare, as Republicans work to cut spending in their new budget blueprint.
'It's just something I couldn't stand for,' Villegas explained. 'And so immediately, I began speaking out against these cuts… to Medicare, to SNAP, to WIC. These are programs that I grew up on. My mother was one of the 40,000+ women in this district who relied on WIC to make sure she had baby formula to feed me.'
Villegas added that he not only wants to protect but expand those programs.
'We know that the Central Valley feeds the world, and yet our workers are struggling to feed their families. And that's because right now, we have Congress that's prioritizing tax cuts for billionaires,' the congressmember hopeful stated.
Now, Villegas is a declared candidate for one of the nation's most competitive House races.
CD-22 includes Kern, Kings and Tulare counties.
It's majority Latino and leans Democrat, yet CD-22 is a purple district — there's a fair shot of it flipping blue or red in each election.
Though his Democratic predecessor — Rudy Salas — former California Assemblymember, Bakersfield City Councilmember and two-time CD-22 candidate against Valadao — failed to flip the seat blue, despite being the Democratic candidate at the local, state and national levels.
17's Jenny Huh: 'When it comes to the Democrats and the Democratic candidates in the race, does it come down to you and Rudy at this point?'
Randy Villegas: 'I actually interned for him back in college, so there is a relationship there. But with all due respect, I don't think that third time is going to be the charm.'
Villegas is more progressive than Salas and is also affiliated with the progressive Working Families Party.
He said he's already working to earn the endorsements of party leaders, like Dolores Huerta, a steadfast fierce backer of Salas.
Salas confirmed with 17 News he is not ruling out a 2026 run. He's also filed papers delcaring an intention to run.
Another important consideration for Villegas in this race will be CD-22's typically low voter turnout.
17's Jenny Huh: 'In 2022, in 2024, [Salas] just didn't see that Democratic, that Latino base turn out to vote. How are you going to get voters to turn out?'
Randy Villegas: 'Beyond just contacting [voters], it's also giving people something to believe in. When you look at some of the issues, with all due respect to Assemblyman Salas and Congressman Valadao, a lot of the times, I felt I was listening to the same person.'
Villegas also spoke with confidence in saying he'll run a people-powered campaign and that his issues transcend party lines.
Healthcare concerns, like Valley Fever, the candidate noted, affects everyone, whether they're Democrat, Republican or voted in the last election.
The candidate also promised at least two in-person town halls each year, offering constituents a time to ask questions and provide feedback.
Click here to watch the full interview with Randy Villegas.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
25 minutes ago
- The Hill
We can't win the fight to end HIV if we cut funding and access to medication
The fight to end HIV in our lifetimes just received a game-changing innovation. In June, the FDA approved Yeztugo (lenacapavir), a groundbreaking HIV prevention treatment that requires just two injections per year — and scored 99 percent effectiveness in trials. This monumental scientific breakthrough is poised to transform the lives of people who have found it hard to keep up with daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis, providing an option that fits better into their everyday lives. But as exciting as this development is, it could be undermined by the Trump administration's proposal to cut nearly $1 billion from federal HIV prevention programs. Innovations like lenacapavir could be a key tool to ending the epidemic, but only if we have the resources and policy to deliver it directly to those who need them most. Although lenacapavir's efficacy is groundbreaking, access remains another story. With a price tag hovering around $28,000 a year, this medication risks being out of reach for the very communities who need it most. We're still waiting to see how programs managed by Gilead Sciences, which developed the treatments, and the broader insurance markets will step up. And it's not just the cost of the drug itself. It's the labs, the provider visits, the follow-ups — each one a potential roadblock for someone trying to stay safe. Federal leadership is essential to ensuring this new HIV prevention tool reaches the communities who need it most. This includes updating clinical guidelines, funding support services and supporting the infrastructure that makes access possible. Unfortunately, the Trump administration and the Republican majorities in Congress are putting access to lifesaving innovations at risk. The administration's attacks on HIV prevention, including its proposals to eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HIV budget and efforts to dismantle public health systems, threaten progress. The Republican budget reconciliation bill that President Trump signed over the July 4 weekend includes deep cuts to Medicaid — the largest payer for HIV care in the U.S. Without strong federal investment and coordination, expanding access to new tools and ending the HIV epidemic is at serious risk. Despite the real strides we have made in HIV prevention, those of us in the lesbian, gay, and transgender community — especially non-white Southerners in rural areas or navigating poverty — know that not every prevention strategy reaches us, works for us, or is built with us in mind. Our realities demand options that reflect the full truth of who we are and how we live. Lenacapavir offers real, powerful hope, but let's be clear: Science alone won't save us. What will make the difference is equitable and intentional policies that center our communities and a public health infrastructure that doesn't leave us behind. These numbers don't shift on their own. Yes, we have made progress over time. But the hard truth is that Black Americans still account for 43 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S., despite being just 13 percent of the population. The data is even more stark for Black transgender women: 44 percent are living with HIV, and their lifetime risk remains unacceptably high. And we cannot ignore the geography of this epidemic. The South accounts for 52 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. That's not a coincidence — it is the result of systemic failures: limited access to healthcare, persistent stigma, lack of comprehensive sex education and the absence of strong non-discrimination protections. These barriers don't just prevent care — they trap people in cycles where prevention tools are out of reach. Among gay and bisexual Black men, the risk of contracting HIV is still 50 percent over a lifetime. Prevention tools like pre-exposure prophylaxis and lenacapavir hold promise, but they only matter if people can actually access them, without fear, shame or coercion. Ending this epidemic means creating environments where people are safe to make informed choices about their own health. The fight to end the HIV epidemic is not just about what happens in labs — it's about how we make these innovations real for our communities. Science is doing its part. Now is the time to urge Congress to reject any cuts to CDC HIV prevention efforts and to fully fund the HIV response. We have the tools to end this epidemic, but not if we dismantle the very systems our communities rely on to survive. The promise of lenacapavir, and the hope it represents, is too great to let fall through the cracks of policy neglect. The question is, will we make the choice to ensure that this breakthrough reaches all of us? Science has given us the tools. Now, we must ensure that everyone has the opportunity to use them.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
4 Blue States Where Energy Costs Could Go Up the Most Under Trump's ‘One Big Beautiful Bill'
The 'One Big Beautiful Bill' (OBBB), signed into law on July 4, contains policies that will increase oil and gas leasing and repeal clean energy tax credits. This will result in higher energy costs — costs that will be passed on to consumers. Wholesale electricity prices are expected to increase 25% by 2030 and 74% by 2035. Electricity rates paid by consumers are expected to increase between 9%-18% and household energy costs are anticipated to go up $170 annually by 2035. Find Out: Read Next: Many Republican-led states are expected to bear the brunt of higher energy costs primarily because, unlike some Democrat-led states, they generally don't have their own policies to develop renewable energy. But a few blue states should brace for impact. A new analysis by the Energy Innovation Policy & Technology, LLC found that four majority Democrat states will be among the 20 to see the biggest annual increases to household energy costs by 2035. 4. Colorado Annual energy cost increase per household by 2035: +$310 Learn More: 3. California Annual energy cost increase per household by 2035: +$320 2. Maryland Annual energy cost increase per household by 2035: +$350 1. Minnesota Annual energy cost increase per household by 2035: +$410 More From GOBankingRates 3 Reasons Retired Boomers Shouldn't Give Their Kids a Living Inheritance (And 2 Reasons They Should) This article originally appeared on 4 Blue States Where Energy Costs Could Go Up the Most Under Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill'
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kansas Republican senate president announces 2026 gubernatorial bid
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson entered the race for governor on Sunday as the 2026 Republican primary field gets more crowded. Republicans are keen to recapture the governor's office in GOP-leaning Kansas after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly narrowly won a second four-year term in 2022. Kelly is term-limited and cannot run again. Masterson, a small-business owner, has been a state senator representing a district in eastern Kansas since 2009. He became Senate president in 2021. He previously served in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2005 to 2008. Other Republicans in the 2026 governor's race include Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who built his public profile pushing back against unfounded election conspiracy theories, and former Gov. Jeff Colyer. Colyer was elevated to the office for about a year in 2018 after former Gov. Sam Brownback resigned. He failed to get past the primary in that year's gubernatorial election, then entered the 2022 governor's race but dropped out early after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
