CBS News projected Nov. 4 that Rep. David Valadao’s bid for a seventh term would end in a loss to Democrat Randy Villegas.
The projected loss would make Valadao the final member of the group to lose reelection or announce plans to retire, CBS said. He and Washington Rep. Dan Newhouse, who is retiring, were the only two members of the group still serving in Congress.
Valadao first won election to the House in 2012. He lost in 2018, when Democrats captured more than 40 seats in a wave that returned control of the chamber to their party, then won his seat back in 2020. His campaign for a seventh term against Villegas was covered in EconoTimes’ earlier report on Valadao’s race against Villegas.
The House approved the impeachment resolution 232-197 on Jan. 13, 2021, after the Capitol attack. Valadao was among the 10 Republicans who voted for it.
Villegas secured a place in the general election by finishing ahead of a more moderate Democrat in California’s top-two primary. CBS described Villegas as progressive and reported that Democratic establishment figures had backed the candidate he beat, calling the outcome an embarrassment for party leaders.
The district is heavily Hispanic, and that constituency shifted away from Democrats in 2024, CBS reported. Polls before the midterms showed Trump’s approval among Latino voters falling sharply, the outlet said. California’s congressional map changed in 2025 amid a Republican effort to redraw districts in Texas; CBS said the new lines gave Democrats a more favorable position than under the 2024 map.
House Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned with Valadao in September. CBS reported that Johnson placed the district among the national races with the highest stakes for Republicans seeking to retain their House majority.
