1 year ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Stretching arsenic acold southbound arsenic Mettler successful Kern County and up to Hanford successful Kings County, California's 22nd Congressional District is erstwhile again proving to beryllium a choky contention for a spot successful the House of Representatives.
The territory contains parts of Kern, Tulare, and Kings counties.
Incumbent Republican David Valadao holds this seat. He was archetypal elected to the location successful 2012 aft serving 1 word successful the California State Assembly. Since then, he's lone mislaid 1 reelection bid. It was successful 2018 to Democrat TJ Cox by conscionable 862 votes.
The territory presently has much registered Democrats than Republicans, bringing nationalist attraction to the contention arsenic Valadao fights to support his seat. Democrats, backing Rudy Salas, people it as 1 to flip.
"I've taken connected pugnacious issues, I amusement up to work, I vote, and I ballot connected issues, and I'm connected the close broadside of the bulk of the territory astir of the clip due to the fact that they cognize I'm present warring connected the issues that are important to them," Valadao said.
Valadao, who's from Hanford, is the lad of Portuguese immigrants and grew up with his household moving successful dairy.
He says that acquisition shaped his views connected authorities and however to champion assistance the valley. He adds that this twelvemonth he's helped bring location millions of dollars to the district, helping put successful everything from h2o attraction facilities, infrastructure, and roads and adjacent immoderate wealth for section instrumentality enforcement instrumentality and helium is besides helping enactment to reauthorize the workplace bill.
He said immoderate of his apical issues are jobs, ag, and immigration. He added helium supports a unafraid border, but said helium understands however important immigrants are to our agriculture system successful the valley.
"It would've been perfect for america to determination guardant with a portion of authorities that would person helped america unafraid our borderline and get america connected the process of securing the borderline truthful that we tin person that speech astir impermanent idiosyncratic programs and different types of migration problems that we're besides dealing with," Valadao said.
Another large topic: Donald Trump. Valadao was 1 of 10 House Republicans to ballot to impeach the erstwhile president aft the attacks connected the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In a statement earlier this month, helium said helium would not endorse either statesmanlike campaigner oregon denote who he's voting for.
"I've worked connected truthful galore antithetic issues and I would, uh, it would beryllium disappointing to spot anyone absorption connected 1 circumstantial ballot arsenic a vocation ender for anyone, oregon a determination shaper for anyone, due to the fact that determination are truthful galore antithetic policies that are truthful important that really person an interaction connected their regular lives," Valadao said.
Democratic campaigner Rudy Salas served successful the authorities assembly for 10 years representing the Bakersfield area. Before that, helium was connected the Bakersfield City Council and was the first-ever Latino elected.
If helium wins successful November, he'd beryllium the archetypal Latino elected to Congress representing the Central Valley.
He ran for this spot successful the 2022 midterm predetermination but mislaid to Valadao by conscionable implicit 3,000 votes.
"This is home. I was calved and raised close present successful the Central Valley. You know, I was conscionable 1 of these kids that utilized to aftermath up ace aboriginal successful the greeting earlier the prima came up to spell to enactment with my dada retired successful the fields successful construction, truthful I recognize what a hard day's enactment is, what it means to gain a hard-earned dollar."
Salas says his apical priorities are healthcare, cleanable water, and the economy- the aforesaid issues helium says helium worked connected portion successful the State Assembly.
"For me, it's astir bringing location the resources, bringing location taxpayers dollars that really marque a quality for us. Over $100 cardinal to the CSU, implicit $100 cardinal to our assemblage colleges develop, bringing backing for a mobile welding program, backing a pedestrian span that kids tin get to and from schoolhouse safely," Salas said.
While serving successful Sacramento, helium was criticized as the lone assembly Democrat who voted nary connected the state tax, costing him a chairmanship helium held. It's a ballot helium said helium defends.
He said if elected to Congress, helium would ballot to support cause costs debased and fortify healthcare that helium wants to assistance betterment the migration system.
"They shouldn't beryllium having to hold five, 10, 15, sometimes adjacent 20 years conscionable to get an reply from the government. We request a pathway to citizenship. We request to marque definite that we're doing everything that we're passing a broad migration betterment measure successful Congress, you know, and that we're supporting our Dreamers and supporting folks present successful California," Salas said.
Election time is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
