In 2022, California’s 22nd district was one of the last races called in the state, decided by a little more than 3,100 votes. This year, the longtime Republican stronghold may ultimately decide which party wins the House majority in Congress in 2025.

Both candidates — former Democratic state assemblyman Rudy Salas and incumbent GOP Rep. David Valadao — have large name recognition in the district that represents the southern end of California’s Central Valley: Salas once represented part of the area in Sacramento, while Valadao has represented the community in Washington for more than a decade.

It’s the second time the pair are facing off for this seat: Salas came within just 2 points of Valadao in 2022.

“When you look at even local elections that are decided by just a couple of votes in every neighborhood or within every family…you can make the difference,” Salas told Spectrum News. 

His hope is that voter turnout for the presidential election and a spike in Democratic voter participation could potentially help put him over the top on his second go-round. Nearly 42% of the district’s voters are registered Democrats, compared to 27.2% of Republicans; 22.7% in the district have no registered party preference. The district, which President Joe Biden won by 13 points in 2020, is part of the Democratic Candidate Congressional Committee's “Red to Blue” program, in the hopes of flipping the seat and taking control of the House.

Salas says abortion rights are a huge issue for the district, pointing to Valadao’s backing of the Life at Conception Act in the previous Congress (he did not sponsor the bill this time around), and that “people are very upset with David Valadao when he was the cosponsor of a bill with no exception.” 

Valadao called it “a world of political spin,” though he did receive an A+ rating from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an anti-abortion nonprofit organization.

“We're all part of our party, and there's going to be things that we're going to be tied to, but that doesn't mean I'm necessarily anything that different than the person I represent myself as in the district,” said Valadao.

“My voting record shows that I'm very bipartisan,” he added. “I've taken probably a lot tougher positions than most members of Congress, a lot tougher positions, and I've done a lot more to be bipartisan than [Salas]'ll ever be able to say he's ever done. So obviously he's going to try to point fingers and try to accuse and play and play the political game of spinning things to make it look partisan.”

During his tenure Valadao, a dairy farmer, has sponsored a number of bills on water issues – including the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act. The bill helped to bring critical water infrastructure to the Central Valley, and is currently waiting for a vote in the House for renewal. It’s an effort Valadao says he is pushing hard for, and one of his proudest legislative accomplishments that he says is a core issue for his constituents.

The two share some common ground on immigration issues. Both are the sons of immigrants; Valadao’s parents came to America from the Azores of Portugal, Salas’ parents from Mexico. It’s a similar background to the constituents in the 22nd district, which is 74% Hispanic, and as of 2022, over a quarter of those in the district are foreign-born.

Two years ago, Salas told the Los Angeles Times he supported “a path to citizenship” for migrant workers while also advocating for increased border security. 

Valadao co-sponsored the Dream Act of 2017 to provide a pathway to individuals brought into the country as children, and he’s hoping that a path can come to fruition when Congress can finally have real conversations around the hot button topic of immigration. 

“Securing the border is a big priority for the Republican side, but — even in all the really strong talking points coming from the Republican side — even President Trump himself is talking about having a pathway for people who want to come here legally. And that's something I think Republicans should spend more time on,” Valadao said. “I think we should be talking about the guest worker programs and things like that, because we do have an issue there with our labor pool.”

Salas pointed to lowering drug costs as a priority for his district, and that it’s something he has supported in the state legislature, while subsequently criticizing Valadao for not doing so, with his vote against a bill to cap out-of-pocket insulin prices under private health insurance and Medicare.

“I've actually voted to lower prescription drug medicines for our folks and and, you know, David had a chance to vote on capping the price of insulin at $15 knowing we have some of the highest diabetic rates across the country, but he voted no, you know, like, there's real issues here. There's real differences. And those are the things that people are bringing up to me,” said Salas.

A spokesperson for Valadao clarified that the congressman supports lowering drug prices “but fundamentally disagreed with the partisan means Democrats employed in 2022 to achieve that.” 

“He voted against H.R. 6833 because government-mandated price caps lead to greater reliance on foreign supply chains, delays in treatment, make the uninsured pay even more, and reduce the number of generic insulins available on the market. He supported the Lower Cost, More Cures Act which he believes is a better, bipartisan solution to lower prices,” the spokesperson said.

The Lower Cost, More Cures Act focused on driving drug costs down for all prescriptions, not just insulin, and focused on “competition and transparency instead of government-mandated price caps, while encouraging and incentivizing continued investment in pharmaceutical research and development.” 

Both have also proven willing to split from their party despite the political risks. Valadao was one of 10 Republicans to break ranks from his colleagues and vote to impeach former President Donald Trump in 2021 for his involvement in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Of those 10, only Valadao and Washington’s Dan Newhouse were reelected in 2022.

“I'm not afraid to take on my own side when I think they're wrong. I've taken positions that have made the Democrats scream at me, and I've taken positions and the Republicans have screamed at me on,” shrugged Valadao. “In reality, my job is to always represent the district that I have the honor of representing. Today, I'm proud of my record. I mean, I've worked really hard to show that I'm not afraid to do what I believe is right, and I'm going to continue to be that person.”

When asked whether he was supporting Trump this cycle, Valadao demurred, saying he has “no plan in getting involved in anything in the presidential race.”

“I have to focus on winning my race, and that's my top priority. And I've purposely gone out of my way to make sure I'm not getting involved in anything presidential,” he admitted.

Salas says he also isn’t afraid to take a hard vote when he feels it’s the right thing to do.

“I'll do what's right for Valley families, even if that means it's a tough vote,” promised Salas. “I voted no against the gas tax,” a 2017 transportation funding plan that provided more than $5 billion a year to repair California roads through raising the state gasoline tax and vehicle fees. “I lost my chairmanship over it — but it's okay. I’d do it again, because it's the right thing to do.”