$30 million spent in Valadao-Salas campaign; early votes show little hope for a Latino win

In one of California’s most expensive Congressional races – the 22nd District where Democratic Assemblymember Rudy Salas is trying to become the first Latino elected to Congress from the San Joaquín Valley – votes aren’t piling up like the $30 million that has been spent.

The latest tally from the state Secretary of State’s election page shows Republican incumbent David Valadao holding a 24,838-to-20,983-vote advantage over Salas as of Thursday evening.

No other Congressional race in California has fewer votes counted thus far. District 6 in the Sacramento area is next lowest with 66, 000 combined votes.

The race was expected to be close, but most national voting experts tilted the race toward Valadao as Republicans planned a takeover of the House from the Democrats.

The newly created 22nd Congressional District favors Salas because it has a 17.5% Democratic advantage in registered voters, and Latino citizens of voting age are the majority. President Joe Biden won the district by 13 percentage points.

In the June primary, Salas collected 45.4% of the votes, while Valadao garnered 25.6%.

At the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1428 in north Bakersfield, Salas joined supporters to watch election results. By 10:30 p.m., the crowd dwindled as the first results rolled in.

“Friends and neighbors, because we know at the end of the day, this is about us. It’s about our community. It’s about our families,” said Salas in a brief speech. “This is about making a difference for everyone, right?”

Salas, whose audience included Assembly hopeful Leticia Pérez and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta, implied that the 22nd District results could impact the country.

“This is about making sure that we have health care for people, and we treat workers the right way. That people can actually afford to put food on the table,” he said.

Democrats, said Salas, “believe in something.”

“We believe in a better future. We believe in a better tomorrow,” said Salas, who spent 10 years in the state Assembly. “By working together, we’re going to create a better community, a better future because we are stronger together.”

Despite the early numbers showing a Valadao advantage, Salas told supporters he was positive.

“I feel good about the work that you guys have done, about the work my team has done,” he said. “And, I feel good about what’s going to happen very soon.”

Valadao – whose vanquished opponents in four previous races include Emilio Huerta (2016), Amanda Rentería (2014), and John Hernández (2012) – held an election watch celebration in Hanford.

“We’re happy with the early numbers. We feel good about it, but we know there are a lot of ballots left to count,” said Valadao. “We’re not celebrating anything just yet.”

Valadao said he hopes to know the results before Thanksgiving of December like he has had to wait before.

“I prefer we win, so I’m not as focused on what date it is,” he said.

A look at other races

▪ Fresno City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria, who is termed out, faces a tight battle in the 27th Assembly District against former Merced County Sheriff’s Mark Pazin. As of Thursday evening, Soria held a 368-vote lead.

A close race is not new for Soria, who trailed her opponent on Election Night before pulling ahead weeks later.

The district, which is Latino majority, stretches from Merced County to Madera and a portion of Fresno County.

In the primary, Soria got more Merced County votes than Pazin.

There are 25 Latino candidates who are leading their state Assembly races as of Thursday. ThaT list includes Democratic incumbent Joaquín Arámbula in the 31st District.

▪ State Sen. Anna Caballero appears on her way to another term, capturing 56.13% of the votes against Republican Amnon Shor in the Merced-centered district. She is among eight Latino candidates who have leads in their races.

▪ First-time candidate Marie Alvarado-Gil is holding off Democratic colleague Timothy Robertson with 52.1% of the vote in state Senate District 4, which meanders from Madera to the Sacramento area and down the east side of the Sierra to Mono County.

The heavily Republican district will have a Democrat because four Republicans split the vote in the June primary and neither failed to finish among the top two.

▪ Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Officer Juan Alanis is on his way to becoming the first Latino Republican from the Valley in the state Assembly. He has 55.9% of the vote in the 22nd Assembly District.

▪ Sen. Alex Padilla, who was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to replace Kamala Harris when she became vice president, will become the first Latino elected to the U.S. Senate from California. The former California Secretary of State enjoyed a comfortable edge in his race.

▪ Former San Joaquin County Supervisor Carlos Villapudua, a Democrat who faced a challenge from Democrat Verónica Vargas, has a comfortable advantage with 61.6% of the vote in the 13th Assembly District.

▪ A political era might be coming to an end in Orange Cove, where Mayor Víctor P. López lost a race for only the second time since he was first elected to the council in the 1970s. Diana Guerra holds a 340-247 vote edge over López.

Councilmember Roy Rodríguez, a longtime Lopez ally, is trailing two other candidates for two spots.

▪ Parlier Mayor Alma Beltrán has appeared to hold off four challengers to keep her seat. She is one of two Latinas serving as mayor. That total will increase with the wins of Dolores Meléndez in Sanger.

Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 11 de noviembre de 2022, 5:15 p. m..