The 22nd district comprises part of the San Joaquin Valley, California’s agricultural heartland. The area elected Democrat T.J. Cox in 2018’s Blue Wave, but reverted back to elect prior Rep. David Valadao in the 2020 and 2022 elections. The latter, like the one in neighboring CA-13, was close—Rudy Salas lost in that election by only 3,132, with voter turnout of only 35%.

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Since the 2021 redistricting, the district now leans Democratic—meaning we can win here if we put in enough effort to overcome Valadao’s incumbent advantage. The Cook Political Report recently moved the district from “Lean Republican” to “Republican Toss-Up.”

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About Our Candidate: Rudy Salas   

Rudy Salas served five terms in California’s State Assembly, where he worked hard to ensure the health and economic opportunity of his district’s residents.

After this year’s primary, Salas swiftly won the endorsement of his chief challenger, Melissa Hurtado, who noted “unity is crucial in tackling our collective challenges, and I know that Rudy is prepared for the task.” Such unity is on full display with endorsements from unions, political leaders and party organizations, all of them backing Rudy to represent the 22nd district.

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About the District 

The district is more than 60% Latino and includes most of Kings County and parts of Tulare and Kern counties. District communities include Porterville, Lindsay, Shafter, Wasco, Delano, McFarland, Arvin, Lamont, and Corcoran, plus parts of Bakersfield, Tulare, and Hanford.