Valadao Loses California Seat After Supporting Trump Impeachment

Democrat Randy Villegas defeated Republican David Valadao for California’s 22nd District in Tuesday’s midterms. CBS News projected the result, ending Valadao’s tenure in the seat he first won in 2012. The outcome leaves only one active member of the House who voted to impeach President Donald Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington is the other, but he has announced his retirement.

Villegas, a progressive, secured the nomination by defeating a moderate Democrat in California’s top-two nonpartisan primary. That primary result was a setback for establishment Democrats who intervened in the Central Valley contest to support the moderate candidate. The intraparty fight occurred in a heavily Hispanic district where voters shifted away from Democrats in 2024. Polls showed President Trump’s approval ratings with Latino voters dropping sharply before the midterms.

The district’s boundaries changed last year. California’s congressional map was redrawn in response to a mid-decade redistricting push by Republicans in Texas. The new map made the 22nd District more favorable to Democrats than it was in 2024. Valadao previously lost the seat in 2018 when Democrats flipped more than 40 House seats. He regained control of the district in 2020 and served as one of 10 House Republicans to vote for Trump’s impeachment.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who represents Louisiana, campaigned with Valadao in September. Johnson called the race one of the "top three or four races in America" for Republicans seeking to keep the House majority. Valadao’s loss adds to a list of Republicans who voted to impeach Trump and subsequently lost reelection or retired. The result reflects a district that shifted politically after the 2024 elections and a redistricting cycle that favored the opposing party in this specific seat.