Kern County's 2026 primary candidates: One-on-one interview with CD-22 hopeful Jasmeet Bains
Wednesday morning, Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains announced her run for California's 22nd Congressional District.
17 Political Reporter Jenny Huh sat down with Bains for a candidate profile. CD-22 is one of the most contentious house races nationwide, each election cycle, without fail.
The big question for 2026 — will Bains be the Democratic candidate?
'This is about being a doctor who's taking her oath to the highest level to protect her community,' said Bains of her decision to throw her hat in the ring.
The assemblywoman — just re-elected to her second term in California's 35th Assembly District — is now eyeing the title of congresswoman.
17's Jenny Huh: 'Did you feel like 2026 was really your year to run, just given that health care, your expertise is front and center?'
Asm. Dr. Jasmeet Bains: 'I never signed up for this to be a career politician. I'm a doctor. Things lined up in a way that this community needs their doctor. When I first got elected and I brought in about $10 million for the fentanyl task force, one of the things we did with it was open up a detox option for people on Medicaid,' Bains recalled.
Speculation of Bains' congressional run began with Congress considering President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill.
On the chopping block — billions in funding to health care programs like Medicaid. And in the hot seat — David Valadao, who ultimately voted with his party in passing the bill.
'The beginning of this year, a lot of people were asking me, are you going to run? Are you going to run? And I waited. I waited to see if he would do the right thing and put the I mean, we all have seen David Valadao do that before,' Bains said.
Like, she noted, when he was one of 10 House Republicans that voted to impeach Trump.
'When you vote to impeach Trump? That brought nothing back to the district. That didn't put food on the table. That was politics.'
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Bains went as far as to say when Valadao faced off against 2018 Democratic challenger TJ Cox and lost, she had actually voted for the congressman. Cox, after just a term, was charged with fraud. The 40-year-old Bains is a family doctor at the Delano branch of Adventist Health.
During the week, Bains is in session in Sacramento. During the weekend, she's back in the district at her clinic.
'I'm a doctor, and this community saw a doctor that put the people over politics over and over and over again,' Bains said. 'I have bucked my own party.'
Most notably, Bains in her first term was the lone Democrat to vote against Gov. Gavin Newsom's bill to prevent price-gouging by oil companies and was temporarily stripped of a committee assignment.
Recently, in the two special legislative sessions addressing the state's gas prices, she was the only Democrat to oppose both measures, though the bills eventually passed.
'Kern County has been bullied by both sides. It's been bullied by the Republicans and bullied by the Democrats. We need someone that's going to stand up for the Valley,' Bains said. 'Running for Congress, especially in a race like this. It's not easy. You know how ugly it's going to get. I'm going to get beat up from both sides.'
CD-22 has a history of being one of the most expensive, contested congressional races nationwide, with the House majority running right through it.
It's described as a moderate district — majority Latino, leans Democrat, yet a Republican has been reelected time and time again.
17's Jenny Huh: 'Do you feel like voter turnout is really the problem or has it, quite frankly, just been weak candidates, weak messaging about your party?
Asm. Dr. Jasmeet Bains: 'That's a really good question. And it's both. Yes, we have some of the worst voter turnout in the state here, right here. But at the same time, what is it that gets voters to turn out?'
Again, it's health care, Bains underscored.
She also pointed out that her people have, historically, shown up when it matters. She cited the labor rights movement founded in Delano and the national impact it carried.
It all depends on a 'community believing in someone,' she said.
'Instead of doing more to strengthen health care, we cut it by a trillion dollars?' Bains said. 'I stutter saying that because through my eyes as a doctor, I and every doctor in this community, every health care worker, every nurse, every person that's on the frontlines of health care in this community sees what's about to happen.'
She also noted a direct impact of the bill when it comes to her work at the state capitol.
'My biggest dream for this community was my UC, the Kern medical school,' Bains said. 'Well within the Big Beautiful Bill is a tax on endowment funds that Congressman David Valadao voted for.'
Bains said as the bill made its way through Congress, it was actually her patients that asked her to do something, amid looming health care cuts.
Her work about being a party loyalist because the issue of health care will only get worse, the congresswoman hopeful said.
The daughter of immigrants from India, Bains was born in Cleveland but grew up in Delano.
She's fluent in English, Spanish, Punjabi.
She was the first South Asian woman elected to the California Legislature and first Sikh American in California state office.
Bains cannot run for CD-22 and reelection to her AD-35 simultaneously.
So, she's taking the risk of being out of office, if she did not advance past the June primary or emerge victorious in November.
If that's the case, Bains said, she can be found, 'Right back in that clinic in Delano providing care.'
Also in the candidate pool is fellow Democrat Randy Villegas — viewed as the more progressive candidate.
Click here for the full interview with Jasmeet Bains.
Click here for the full interview with Randy Villegas.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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