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California Republican David Valadao didn’t support Trump in 2016 but does for 2020
A former California Republican congressman who declined to back President Donald Trump in 2016 and later lost his House seat is making a different bet in 2020.
Former Rep David Valadao, R-Hanford says he plans to vote for Trump this fall.
“I think he deserves the support here in the Central Valley,” Valadao, a Republican from Hanford, said on a radio show with host Trevor Carey. Carey asked if Trump had Valadao’s support, and he said yes.
That’s a change for Valadao, who in 2016 did not endorse Trump. “I’m not going to get into that,” he said in June 2016 when a local news station asked him who he planned to support.
Valadao in 2018 lost a close election to Democratic Rep. TJ Cox of Fresno. This fall, the two are on the ballot again for what is one of the biggest battlegrounds in 2020 House races.
In the interview with Carey last week, Valadao cited Trump’s actions to deliver more water to the Central Valley as the reason he now thinks people should support Trump.
“I think agriculture continues to support him because he’s been great for us,” Valadao told Carey. “On the water front, obviously there is no other president who’s been as helpful as he has.”
Valadao’s campaign declined McClatchy’s request for an interview on why Valadao had changed his mind. Instead, Andrew Renteria, Valadao’s campaign manager, sent a statement that only mentioned Trump’s policies on water.
“While President Trump and David don’t agree on everything, he has been a leader on water and continued to build on the progress made while David was in Congress, but David’s priority is and always will be the Central Valley,” Renteria said. “David will work in a bipartisan manner with who ever wins in November on critical issues impacting the Valley including water, fixing our broken immigration system, our children’s education system, and our economy.”
Valadao in an ad released earlier this month also tried to highlight his work with Democrats during former President Barack Obama’s tenure, pointing out legislation he helped push through Congress on water for the Central Valley that was eventually signed by Obama.
While Valadao promotes that work, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has been trying to tie Valadao to Trump in the district.
“From his Trump endorsement to campaigning with Trump to voting with Trump 99% of the time, it’s abundantly clear that David Valadao and Donald Trump are tied at the hip,” said Andy Orellana, spokesman for DCCC. “The Central Valley has rejected both David and Donald once before and will do so again in 2020.”
Democrats have frequently touted Republicans voting with Trump 99% of the time as a campaign tactic against them. While technically true, the number is slightly misleading, since a Republican-controlled House typically would not advance legislation that a Republican president does not support. Republicans held the House majority until 2018, when Valadao lost to Cox.
Trump is unpopular in Valadao’s district — the district went to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton by 16 points over Trump.
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