Randy Villegas
Candidate for U.S. Representative, Congressional District 22
Randy Villegas is a Democrat. He is running for California's 22nd Congressional District. The general election is in 2026. He is running against Rep. David G. Valadao, the Republican incumbent. Villegas is a first-generation college graduate. He is the son of Mexican immigrants. His campaign biography states his family received Medicaid. It says they received food assistance during his childhood too. He earned an associate degree from Bakersfield College. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science and history. It came from California State University, Bakersfield. He also holds a PhD in politics. It came from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Before politics, he worked as a journalist for Kern Sol News. He also contributed to the Bakersfield Californian. He now teaches political science. He does so at College of the Sequoias in Visalia. In 2025, he won an award in his field. It came from the American Political Science Association. It was the group's Community College Faculty Award. That award honored his teaching, mentorship, and voter-registration work with students. Villegas serves on the school board in Visalia. The board is the Visalia Unified School District Board of Education. His seat is Trustee Area 6. He was appointed to a vacancy in December 2021. He was then elected to the seat in November 2022. His campaign site also describes him as a family auto shop owner. He announced his run for the 22nd Congressional District in April 2025. He finished second to Valadao in the primary. That was the June 2, 2026 top-two primary. He placed ahead of fellow Democrat Jasmeet Bains. That result sent him to the November 2026 general election. Sen. Bernie Sanders and labor leader Dolores Huerta have endorsed him. So have the Working Families Party and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC. Rep. Ro Khanna has endorsed him too. He states he does not accept corporate PAC donations. Home: Visalia, California (Kern County/Bakersfield background). Occupation: political science professor at College of the Sequoias. He is also a school board trustee for the Visalia Unified School District. Prior office: current board trustee, Visalia Unified School District, Trustee Area 6. He was appointed in Dec. 2021 and elected in Nov. 2022. He has held no prior federal or state legislative office. This is his first run for U.S. House.
On the issues
- Economy & Jobs
Supports guaranteeing well-paid, secure jobs for energy workers during any transition to renewable energy, opposes broad tariffs he says hurt farmers and small businesses, and supports tax incentives for small businesses.
Source → - Taxes & Cost of Living
Supports raising government revenue by taxing the top 1% of income and wealth holders rather than working families, framed as part of his economic platform; no separate detailed statement on inflation/affordability or spending/debt was found.
Source → - Health & Health Care
Supports Medicare for All, capping prescription drug prices, expanding dental and vision coverage, and opposes cuts to Medicaid and federal nutrition programs.
Source → - Education & Schools
Supports making public colleges (career, technical, and community colleges) tuition-free, addressing student debt, expanding local schools/education centers, and raising wages for school staff, drawing on his experience as a school board trustee.
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Emphasizes protecting farmworkers from extreme heat, holding corporate polluters in the Central Valley accountable for air and water pollution, expanding national parks and wildlife conservation, and opposes selling public lands.
Source → - Foreign Policy & Defense
Opposes prolonged U.S. military interventions abroad (citing Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine), favors redirecting resources to domestic needs, and supports humanitarian foreign aid while opposing aid for foreign military actions.
Source → - Government, Elections & Democracy
Supports banning members of Congress from stock trading, opposes the revolving door to lobbying, wants to overturn Citizens United and eliminate corporate PAC influence, and supports congressional term limits; does not accept corporate PAC donations.
Source → - Technology & Privacy
Supports stronger federal AI regulation to protect workers and families, individual ownership/protection of personal data, age verification and parental consent for high-risk AI tools, and taxing large AI companies fairly to protect jobs from AI displacement.
Source →
Profiles are compiled from the candidate’s own statements and public records. We never tell you how to vote.