Our View: Voters to decide 22nd, 20th congressional candidates

This is a tale of two neighboring Kern County congressional districts. One with a red-hot primary election race and the other with hardly a fight.

But with California's "jungle" primary system, the top two vote-getters in each congressional race will advance to duke it out again in the November general election.

The red-hot race is in the 22nd Congressional District, where Republican incumbent David Valadao faces two Democrats - Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, a physician, and Visalia Unified School District board member Randy Villegas, a college political science professor.

There is little doubt the veteran incumbent Valadao, who has been representing Kern in Congress since 2013, will be one of the top-two finishers. He has name recognition and a legislative record. The question is which of his two challengers will receive sufficient votes to be on the November ballot.

Voters' choice is between Bains, a moderate Democrat, and Villegas, a progressive, more liberal candidate.

Bains is the better fit for the district. Representing parts of Kern in the Assembly since 2022, Bains has far more legislative experience than Villegas. She repeatedly has proven her willingness to prioritize her district and her constituents' wellbeing, rather than her party's.

She was the lone Democrat to oppose Proposition 50 - California's tit-for-tat response to President Trump's demand that states redraw congressional boundaries to create more Republican districts before the midterm elections to keep GOP control of the House of Representatives. She has voted against Democratic Assembly leaders several times and lost a committee assignment when she locked horns with the speaker over a vote.

Villegas' campaign has cast Bains as unreliable. And that she is. She will not "reliably" fall in line with her political party - as we see so many congressional Republicans and Democrats are doing.

"I'm faithful to my district, not a party or label," Bains told the news outlet CalMatters. "I didn't study politics. I studied my community through the lens of being a doctor. And what the Central Valley wants is people who are going to put them first in Washington."

The daughter of Indian immigrants, who grew up in Delano, after graduating from medical school she returned home to complete her residency serving low-income residents with Clinica Sierra Vista. On weekends and during legislative recesses, she continues practicing medicine.

"I never intended to run for Congress," Bains told The Californian. "I wanted to fix the problems I see with the state's failures to combat fentanyl, and I wanted to build a medical school in Kern County. But then Washington passed the largest cut to healthcare in American history."

About 68% of 22nd District residents rely on Medi-Cal, or Medicaid, which congressional Republicans cut with the passage of Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. The removal of subsidies for the Affordable Care Act has sent premiums skyrocketing. Valadao voted for the bill.

Valadao defends his vote, noting passage of the Big Beautiful Bill kept critical tax cuts from expiring. As to the Medicaid cuts, he said he blocked some of the more draconian cuts. And the cuts that remained apply mainly to able-bodied Medicaid recipients who refuse to work a required 20 hours a week.

At a meeting last month, Kern County administrators warned the Board of Supervisors that 50,000 county residents could lose their health coverage and turn to public services for care. The county's cost for providing for the medically indigent was estimated to be between $50 million and $90 million.

Valadao points to his record of fighting for the interests of his district. Although he is a staunch supporter of President Trump, he has occasionally split with his party. Most notably, he was one of only a few Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021 siege of the Capitol.

With grassroots support and the backing of progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, Villegas has run a vigorous campaign. Although he does not live in the 22nd District, which is not a constitutional requirement to run for the office, Villegas was born and raised in Bakersfield and he understands its needs.

Affordability and medical care will be huge issues as the race to decide who will represent the 22nd Congressional District heads into the November election. The most robust contest will be between Republican incumbent David Valadao and Democrat Jasmeet Bains.

20th DISTRICT

Incumbent Republican Vince Fong's reelection bid is a sleepy contest, with three challengers - Sandra Van Scotter, a Democrat, and Ben Dewell and Jeremy Fox, who are not affiliated with a party.

Van Scotter is the mother of a disabled son and longtime healthcare worker. She says she was motivated to run for Congress by passage of President Trump's Big Beautiful Bill that slashed healthcare funding.

"In my current work with talking to healthcare providers, they're pretty blindsided with just how bad things are already," said the Ridgecrest disability support worker and former respiratory therapist. "And this is just the start of it."

Dewell, a scientist and meteorologist, has unsuccessfully run for several local offices. This is his fourth time running for the 20th congressional seat. The first time he ran was as a Democrat in 2022 against then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy. But he says he concluded that in the conservative district a Democrat has no chance of winning, so he dropped his party affiliation. Dewell is a Stallion Springs Community Service District board member.

Fox, a resident of Visalia, is a former land surveyor. He has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair. He says he was motivated to run by his opposition to the Trump administration. He describes himself as "right-leaning" and, above all, pro-Constitution. He also was motivated to run by passage of Trump's Big Beautiful Bill and Fong's support of the bill.

Although relatively new to his job as the 20th District congressman, Fong has a long involvement in local Republican politics.

He started as an aide to Rep. Bill Thomas and later McCarthy. In 2016, Fong was elected to the state Assembly, where he served until succeeding McCarthy in 2024.

A supporter of President Trump's agenda, Fong has been a strong, effective voice in Washington for Kern County during his first congressional term. He should be reelected.

But California's primary system requires the two candidates receiving the most votes to advance to the November runoff.

Those who decline to vote for Fong should cast their ballots for Democrat Van Scotter. Although she acknowledges she is a political novice, she has personal and professional experience dealing with the consequences of one the biggest issues facing the district, county, state and nation - the inability of millions of Americans to afford healthcare. She promises to be a strong voice for those who are being left behind.

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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 12:10 PM.