Randy Villegas, a Bernie Sanders-backed Democratic candidate in California's 22nd Congressional District, has described diversity, equity and inclusion work as a "social justice-driven duty" for community college educators in academic writings that are now drawing scrutiny during his campaign against Republican Rep. David Valadao.
Villegas, who serves as a political science professor at College of the Sequoias and as a Visalia school board trustee, co-authored a 2022 academic paper published by the American Political Science Association titled "A Commitment to Teaching, Learning, and Student Advocacy: Community College Careers." In the paper, he argued that DEI is central to the mission of community colleges and described it as essential to educational excellence.
The Central Valley district is considered a top pickup target for Democrats. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates it a "toss-up" with a razor-thin D+1 partisan lean, making it one of the most competitive House races in the country this cycle.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic supporters and progressive organizations have pointed to Villegas' background as an educator and community organizer as qualifications for Congress. They argue his experience working directly with students and engagement in grassroots activism demonstrates a commitment to underrepresented communities in the Central Valley.
Progressive groups note that Villegas' academic work reflects widely-held views among many educators about serving diverse student populations. Supporters contend that community colleges, by their open-access nature, inherently embrace commitments to accessibility and student success across racial, economic and cultural lines.
Villegas has not directly responded to questions about his academic writings on activism in scholarship. A campaign spokesperson instead focused criticism on Valadao's record, stating: "David Valadao ripped away healthcare and food assistance from Valley families to hand his billionaire buddies a tax break."
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans have seized on Villegas' academic writings and activist history as evidence of extreme policy positions incompatible with the moderate district. The Republican National Committee characterized his background through spokesperson Nick Poche: "Randy Villegas was cooked up in a lab to be the radical left's perfect woke freak. The only thing he cares about is political power and his far-left agenda."
Conservative critics point to passages in which Villegas praised community organizations for "actively politicizing and socializing youth" and described educational institutions as "anti-political." They argue this signals an intent to bring activist tactics from academia into federal policy.
The RNC has highlighted Villegas' involvement with Central Valley Freedom Summer, a 2018 program connecting students with advocacy groups working on issues including LGBTQ rights, immigration and environmental justice. Some partner organizations have backed progressive causes that Republicans say go beyond traditional Democratic platform positions.
What the Numbers Show
California's 22nd Congressional District covers portions of Fresno and Kern counties in the Central Valley, an agricultural region historically Republican-leaning despite recent demographic shifts toward Democrats.
Cook Political Report rates the district as "toss-up" with a D+1 partisan lean based on voting history. Valadao won his last election by approximately 3 percentage points over Democrat former Assemblymember Rudy Salas.
Valadao's 2024 vote share in the district, combined with presidential race results showing roughly equal Democratic and Republican performance, underscores the competitive nature of the seat that both parties view as essential to House control.
Villegas received an endorsement from Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., whose political operation has proven effective at mobilizing progressive voters in primary and general elections. The Sanders endorsement brought national fundraising attention and volunteer infrastructure to the race.
The Bottom Line
The race between Villegas and Valadao represents one of the most closely watched House contests of 2026, with control of Congress potentially hanging on a handful of competitive districts like this one.
Villegas' academic writings provide both campaigns with material for their respective arguments. Democrats can point to his credentials as an educator engaged with diverse students; Republicans can frame those same experiences as evidence of ideological extremism.
What happens next: Early voting begins in coming weeks, and both campaigns are expected to intensify attacks based on background, voting records and policy positions. The outcome could be determined by turnout among specific demographic groups in the Central Valley's cities and agricultural communities.