Third challenger joins race for David Valadao’s seat in Congress. But what about TJ Cox?
Delano Mayor Bryan Osorio announced Wednesday he will challenge Rep. David Valadao in the 21st Congressional District, which stretches from Fresno to Bakersfield.
The Osorio for Congress committee filed with the Federal Elections Commission on Tuesday. The Delano native is a Democrat and was first elected mayor at age 22 in 2018.
He becomes the third challenger in the competitive district. Republican Chris Mathys and Democrat Nicole Parra previously filed for the election with the FEC.
Valadao, R-Hanford, beat out Democrat incumbent TJ Cox for the 21st seat in November in a race that was not claimed by the winner for a couple of weeks after Election Day. Two years prior, Cox unseated Valadao for the same seat in a similarly close race.
Cox’s status this time around remained unclear on Wednesday. He could not be immediately reached for comment, but his election website had expired.
He changed his “TJ Cox for Congress” into a new PAC called the “Rising Electorate PAC,” but told Bakersfield TV station KGET in April he had not made up his mind on whether he will run again. Cox said he’s waiting to see how the district’s boundaries are redrawn this year.
As an elected official in Delano, Osorio has championed immigrant and LGBT+ rights, according to a news release.
He supported a resolution to make Delano a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants and declared June 2020 Pride Month for the first time in the city.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Osorio said he was behind legislation for an eviction moratorium and to waive late fees on utility bills.
