Rep. David Valadao has attracted challengers right and left, with one Republican and two Democrats signaling plans to run against the California GOP congressman in 2022 following his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump in the waning days of his administration.
Valadao was among just 10 House Republicans who joined with the Democrats to impeach Trump for his role in encouraging the march on the United States Capitol that evolved into a deadly siege of the building. That vote prompted Army veteran and former Fresno City Councilman Chris Mathys, a Republican, to announce plans to take on Valadao in the 21st District GOP primary next year, saying the incumbent deserves to be ousted because he was disloyal to Trump.
“You don’t always like who you’re working for, but you’re always loyal and dedicated to your commander-in-chief,” Mathys told the Fresno Bee. “In the military you always follow your commander-in-chief, and if you don’t it’s treason, and the penalty is death.”
Valadao’s vote has infuriated grassroots Republicans in his agricultural Central Valley district. But it could prove politically helpful. The 21st District regularly votes Democrat for president, as it did in 2016 when it supported Hillary Clinton over Trump — and last year when the voters there backed President Biden. Still, two Democrats are eyeing a run against Valadao in the midterm elections.
T.J. Cox, whom Valadao defeated in November, is interested in making a comeback after having lost to Valadao last November. If Cox and Valadao are the top two-finishers in 2022, from California’s all-party primaries, it would mark their third matchup. Valadao was an incumbent congressman when he was beaten by Cox in the 2018 midterm elections, reclaiming his seat two years later. But Cox has competition.
Democrat Nicole Parra, a former state assemblywoman, said Cox is a political liability who puts the party’s prospects against Valadao at risk. Parra, whose political resume includes working for the administration of former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, conceded that Valadao’s vote for impeachment could boost the congressman politically in his bid for reelection. But she said Valadao is vulnerable nonetheless.
“The impeachment vote was the right thing to do, but he’s never faced an opponent like me before,” Parra told the Fresno Bee. “It’s going to be really interesting to see, this next year, how much he votes with” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “versus” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, both of California.
