Randy Villegas (D) – CA-22 House 2026

About

Randy Villegas is the Democratic nominee for California's 22nd Congressional District, a political science professor at College of the Sequoias and a trustee on the Visalia Unified School District board. A Bakersfield native and son of Mexican immigrants, he advanced past establishment-backed Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains in the June 2, 2026 top-two primary to challenge incumbent Republican David Valadao. His progressive campaign, backed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, emphasizes affordable health care, labor rights, public education funding, and opposition to corporate PAC influence, and he is scheduled to debate Valadao on October 6.

Biography sources 6

Positions on Key Issues

Positions of Randy Villegas on key issues
Issue	Stance	Sources
Climate/Energy	Randy Villegas has been publicly identified as a climate champion by the League of Conservation Voters and as the climate champion in California's 22nd District race by Food & Water Action and allied environmental groups. The available materials support a pro-environment characterization, but do not provide a detailed, candidate-authored climate or energy platform; his listed campaign policy pages are currently under construction.	League of Conservation Voters 2025-2026 Endorsements National Environmental Groups Endorse Randy Villegas for CA-22 Randy Villegas campaign issues page
Economy	Villegas’ campaign says it would protect oil and gas workers during a transition to renewable energy, invest in apprenticeship programs and agriculture, manufacturing and technology, and oppose what it calls pointless tariffs. It also supports taxing the top 1% and closing loopholes, providing incentives and tax breaks for small businesses, breaking up monopolies, and creating infrastructure jobs including rural broadband.	Jobs & The Economy — Randy Villegas for Congress Issues — Randy Villegas for Congress
Healthcare	Villegas says healthcare is a human right and supports Medicare for All, along with caps on prescription-drug and medical-procedure prices. He also opposes cuts to Medicaid and other federal safety-net programs and has said he would work to protect or expand access to healthcare for Central Valley families.	Randy Villegas — MoveOn David Valadao, Jasmeet Bains, Randy Villegas on why they should get your vote to Congress Working Families Party Endorses Randy Villegas for Congress in CA-22
Immigration	Villegas says the U.S. immigration system needs reform, opposes blanket detention and deportation policies, and supports a pathway to citizenship for undocumented residents. His stated position is framed partly through his family’s experience as the son of immigrants from Mexico.	Randy Villegas on Pathway to Citizenship
Abortion & Reproductive Health	Randy Villegas is publicly aligned with protecting abortion access and reproductive health: Planned Parenthood Action Fund lists him as its endorsed candidate for California's 22nd Congressional District in 2026, and the Working Families Party has publicly described his platform as fighting for birth control and abortion access. His campaign's own issues page does not currently publish a dedicated abortion policy, so these sources establish alignment but not a detailed legislative agenda.	2026 Planned Parenthood Action Fund Endorsed Candidates Working Families Party Candidate for Congress CA-22, Randy Villegas Issues — Randy Villegas for Congress
Firearms & Second Amendment	Randy Villegas supports commonsense gun-safety measures intended to prevent gun violence and keep dangerous weapons out of the wrong hands, while respecting responsible gun ownership. His campaign policy pages at randyvillegas.com were under construction when checked; this position is documented by Giffords in connection with its endorsement of his CA-22 campaign.	Randy Villegas \| GIFFORDS Randy Villegas campaign issues page (under construction)
Education	Villegas presents education as a means of personal and economic advancement, stating that “Education changed my life” and that he is “paying it forward to the next generation.” His campaign identifies “Education & Training” as a top issue, but the accessible campaign page does not specify particular federal education policies or funding proposals.	Meet Randy - Villegas for Congress Issues — Randy Villegas for Congress
Foreign Policy	Villegas has said that, if elected to Congress, he would not support using public money for wars. In an interview reported during the 2026 CA-22 primary, he criticized U.S. funding for Israel and described voters as concerned about overseas aid amid domestic affordability and health-care problems.	Rural California Voters Defy DCCC and Israel Lobby
Civil Rights & Equality	Villegas has publicly supported legislating on behalf of civil rights and LGBTQIA rights, and his campaign has emphasized representation and leadership by marginalized communities. Equality California, a statewide LGBTQ+ civil-rights organization, endorsed him for U.S. House in California's 22nd Congressional District on July 23, 2026, citing the importance of electing representatives who will fight for LGBTQ+ equality; the endorsement corroborates his alignment with LGBTQ+ civil-rights priorities but does not establish specific legislative proposals.	Randy Villegas for Congress campaign statement on civil rights and LGBTQIA rights Equality California Announces Latest Pro-Equality Endorsements Ahead of 2026 Midterms
Election Policy	Villegas supports overturning Citizens United, banning corporate PAC and Super PAC contributions, and enacting publicly financed elections. He has pledged to reject all corporate PAC donations and has said he would support a lifetime ban on lobbying for elected officials, framing big-money influence in politics as a central problem.	Randy Villegas on overturning Citizens United and banning corporate PACs Bernie Sanders on Randy Villegas' platform including overturning Citizens United Randy Villegas for Congress on rejecting corporate PAC donations
Local Issues	Villegas frames his campaign around Central Valley working families and says household costs such as utilities and mortgages should be addressed without regard to party registration. His reported campaign priorities include universal family leave and child care and raising the minimum wage to $25 per hour; his campaign website's issues page is currently under construction, so these positions are sourced from contemporaneous reporting rather than a currently accessible official platform.	‘Valleycrat’ or Mamdani wannabe?: California Democrats are split on how to win swing votes Randy Villegas campaign issues page
Tech & AI	Villegas supports stronger AI regulation focused on protecting workers, families, and children. His campaign says he would protect personal data from sale or use in AI training without consent, require age verification and parental consent for high-risk AI tools, address AI-generated child sexual abuse material, require large AI companies to pay their fair share in taxes, and protect workers from AI-driven job replacement.	Artificial Intelligence \| Villegas for Congress

Review an issue

Climate/Energy

Randy Villegas has been publicly identified as a climate champion by the League of Conservation Voters and as the climate champion in California's 22nd District race by Food & Water Action and allied environmental groups. The available materials support a pro-environment characterization, but do not provide a detailed, candidate-authored climate or energy platform; his listed campaign policy pages are currently under construction.

Sources:

League of Conservation Voters 2025-2026 Endorsements

National Environmental Groups Endorse Randy Villegas for CA-22

Randy Villegas campaign issues page

Choose another issue above to review the remaining researched positions.

Background

Career History

Professor of Political Science 2020 – Present

College of the Sequoias

Political science professor in Visalia, California; received the 2025 APSA Community College Faculty Award.

School Board Trustee (Trustee Area 6) 2021 – Present

Visalia Unified School District

Appointed in December 2021 to fill a vacancy; elected to a full term in November 2022.

Journalist and Community Organizer

Bakersfield

Worked as a journalist and community organizer in Bakersfield before graduate school; writing appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The Bakersfield Californian, South Kern Sol, and El Popular.

Education

University of California, Santa Cruz Ph.D. in Politics (with designated emphasis in Latin American and Latino Studies) (2022)

University of California, Santa Cruz M.A. in Political Science

California State University, Bakersfield B.A. in Political Science

Bakersfield College A.A. in Political Science

Top Donors

Raised approximately $2.65M in total receipts (through June 30, 2026), including $2.4M from individual contributions, and outraised incumbent David Valadao nearly 2-to-1 in the April 1–June 30 filing period ($1.3M vs. roughly $777K). The campaign is built on grassroots, small-dollar donors — over 15,000 individual donors with more than 30% of contributions under $200 — and Villegas has publicly rejected all corporate PAC money, instead drawing support from labor unions (UAW, California Federation of Labor Unions) and progressive groups like the Working Families Party. Outside groups opposing him spent over $2.2M in the primary, including $500K from the pro-Israel Democratic Majority for Israel PAC.

Sources

VILLEGAS, RANDY - Candidate overview | FEC California District 22 - OpenSecrets Valadao and Villegas clash over cash in California contest Randy Villegas Holds Sizable Fundraising Lead in CA-22 Primary Fundraiser: Randy Villegas for Congress (CA-22) Outside groups spend millions on House primaries - OpenSecrets These California Republicans have one advantage in the race for Congress: Money - CalMatters Working Families Party Endorses Randy Villegas for Congress in CA-22

Voting Record

Has never held federal or state legislative office, so there is no congressional voting record. He has served on the Visalia Unified School District Board of Education since December 2021 (appointed, then elected to a full term in 2022), where he voted with the board to approve roughly $15 million in sexual-abuse settlements across multiple cases — a vote that became the subject of attack ads, though experts noted the settlements complied with California's STAND Act and did not bar victims from disclosing facts. His campaign platform emphasizes affordable health care, labor rights, public education funding, immigration reform, and opposition to corporate PAC influence.

Sources

View full voting record Randy Villegas - Wikipedia Randy Villegas for Congress - Official Campaign Website Randy Villegas - LegiStorm

About this research

Data compiled from public sources and analyzed using AI. Last updated October 10, 2026. Visit candidate websites for the most current information.