Two Democrats are locked in a fundraising and endorsement battle as they seek to flip the seat held by Rep. David Valadao.

Valadao, R-Hanford, has continually defied election odds, winning his congressional district despite a voter registration advantage that favors Democrats. If the current redistricting map holds, he will face even steeper odds.

The new Congressional District 22 lines remove Valadao-friendly areas of Kings County and add less-friendly portions of the city of Fresno and Bakersfield. Democrats now have a 16-point registration advantage, 42% to 26% over Republicans.

Under the 2024 district lines, Democrats held a 13-point advantage (41% to 28%).

The district includes portions of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, and Tulare counties.

Villegas and Bains Battle

In the latest campaign finance filings, Randy Villegas, D-Visalia, raised more money than Jasmeet Bains, D-Delano — but the margin is narrow.

Villegas, an instructor at College of the Sequoias and a Visalia Unified trustee, pulled in $373,860 during the fourth quarter of 2025 — October through December — and has raised $875,948 overall.

Bains, an Assemblywoman and medical doctor, raised $299,670 for the quarter and $649,821 overall.

In a news release, Villegas said he is rejecting corporate PAC money and that 30% of his contributions come from donations of less than $200.

“We’re building a movement, and I’m so grateful for each and every person who’s helping us push this campaign over the finish line,” Villegas said.

Villegas is the more left-leaning of the Democratic opponents, aligning himself with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont. The National Republican Congressional Committee has labeled Villegas a socialist and the “Zohran Mamdani of the West.”

Labor icon Dolores Huerta has endorsed Villegas, along with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ campaign PAC, the Working Families Party, and David Hogg’s Leaders We Deserve PAC.

Bains has won support from several labor groups, including AFSCME, SEIU, the Kern, Inyo and Mono Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, and the United Nurses Associations.

“No one knows the needs of our communities better than the workers who keep them running every day,” Bains said in a news release announcing the AFSCME endorsement.

Valadao remains the top fundraiser, pulling in $618,304 during the quarter and more than $3 million overall. He has $2.1 million cash on hand.

Other Valley Incumbents Lead

It is not surprising that incumbents hold significant fundraising advantages.

In District 13 — which includes parts of Fresno, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties — Rep. Adam Gray, D-Merced, raised more than double what his latest competitor — former Stockton mayor Kevin Lincoln, a Republican — collected.

Ceres mayor and fellow Republican Javier Lopez dropped out of the race and endorsed Lincoln.

Gray has raised more than $2 million overall, compared with Lincoln’s $518,127

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, also holds a fundraising lead for Congressional District 21, which includes parts of Fresno and Tulare counties. Club One Casino owner Kyle Kirkland, R-Clovis, recently entered the race and trails veterans advocate Lorenzo Rios, R-Clovis, in fundraising.

Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, and Rep. Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, hold sizable fundraising leads in Districts 5 and 20, respectively, over lesser-known challengers.

In each district, the top two vote-getters regardless of party in the June 2 primary will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.