Valadao and Salas fought a close race for California's 22nd Congressional District

The Central Valley race between Republican Rep. David Valadao and his Democratic challenger Rudy Salas for California's 22nd Congressional District was too close to call on election night as officials continued to count votes.

The closely contested race, into which Democrats and Republicans have poured millions of dollars, was one of several in California that could help decide which party controls Congress next year. It was a rematch between two men known for their moderate politics: When Salas challenged Valadao in 2022, he lost by about 3,100 votes.

The rural swing district spans parts of Kern, Kings and Tulare counties and includes Hanford south to Bakersfield. The economy is dominated by agriculture and more than 70% of residents are Latino. Here, 43% of voters are registered Democrats, compared to 26% registered Republicans and 23% with no party preference. The Central Valley is home to many conservative Democrats who often vote differently than those in liberal metropolitan areas like Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

The district has long been represented by Valadao, who was first elected to Congress in 2012 and recaptured the seat in 2020 after losing in 2018. Valadao was considered a vulnerable Republican because he was one of the few lawmakers still in office who voted to impeach then-President Trump in 2021 and has declined to support the Republican presidential nominee for that election.

The candidates come from different parts of the Central Valley's agricultural landscape: Valadao is a dairy farmer with Portuguese roots, while Salas grew up in a Latin American farming family. Valadao touted his campaign in Congress and pointed to funds he secured for local projects and police departments to show his commitment to the region.

Salas served in the California legislature for ten years and later became a political science lecturer at Cal State Bakersfield. He told the Times earlier this year that he decided to run again because he felt residents were excited about the prospect of change. As he knocked on doors, he said voters were concerned about health care and reproductive rights, two issues on which he said he and Valadao were far apart.

The two have different views on abortion rights. During his time in the Assembly, Salas supported the 2022 statewide ballot measure that enshrined the right to contraception and abortion in the California Constitution. Valadao previously co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act, a failed House bill that would have banned abortions nationwide without exceptions. He has since changed his position and supports exceptions in cases of rape, incest and when the mother's life is at risk.

On health care, Salas supports the Affordable Care Act and criticizes Valadao for voting against the Inflation Reduction Act, which placed a $35 monthly cap on insulin for Medicare enrollees. Valadao, who supports a market-based approach to health care reform, said he supports lower drug costs but called the $35 cap on insulin an “arbitrary cap.”