Rep. David Valadao Becomes Last GOP Impeacher to Lose Seat

What Happened

GOP Rep. David Valadao lost his bid for a fifth term in California’s 22nd District, CBS News projected. His defeat by Democrat Randy Villegas marks the end of the line for the last Republican who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to stay in Congress. Valadao first won the seat in 2012, was unseated in the 2018 Democratic wave, and reclaimed it in 2020. He was one of ten House Republicans who voted for impeachment; only he and Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington remained, and Newhouse is retiring.

Reaction

Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana campaigned with Valadao in September and called the race one of the top three or four contests that could determine Republican control of the House. The primary that sent Villegas to the general saw the progressive beat a moderate Democrat, a loss that establishment Democrats described as embarrassing after they tried to boost the moderate. The intraparty fight unfolded in a heavily Hispanic district that shifted away from Democrats in 2024, while polls showed President Trump’s approval among Latino voters falling sharply.

Context

The district’s boundaries were redrawn last year after a Texas‑driven mid‑decade redistricting push, a change that tipped the map toward Democrats. The result highlights the growing difficulty for Republicans who broke with Trump to win in districts where Latino voters are increasingly skeptical of the former president.