Valadao loses, leaving no impeachment-voting House Republican headed back

Rep. David Valadao, a California Republican, lost his reelection bid in the state's 22nd District, CBS News projected. His Democratic opponent was Randy Villegas ¹. The Associated Press (AP) also called the race for Villegas on Wednesday morning ².

The loss makes Valadao the last of the House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol to lose reelection or announce a retirement ¹. Ten House Republicans cast that vote. Before Tuesday, only two were still in Congress: Valadao and Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington, who is retiring ¹.

A big margin in a redrawn district

Unofficial results had Villegas at 66.4% and Valadao at 33.6% when KVPR, a public radio station, published its report ². Votes are still being counted, so those numbers could change.

Valadao was first elected in 2012 and lost in 2018, when Democrats flipped more than 40 seats. He won the seat back in 2020 ¹. California's congressional map was redrawn last year, in response to Republicans' mid-decade redistricting push in Texas. That made the district more favorable to Democrats than it was in 2024 ¹.

From Channel GOPEl-Sayed: Medicaid cuts timed for after midtermsAbdul El-Sayed · 173 plays · captioned, with the source named

House Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned with Valadao in September. He called the contest one of the "top three or four races in America" for Republicans trying to keep the House majority ¹.

A primary fight, then a general-election win

Villegas is a progressive. He edged out a moderate Democrat in the top-two nonpartisan primary, which embarrassed establishment Democrats who had backed the moderate ¹. The district is heavily Hispanic. That group shifted away from Democrats in 2024, but polls before the midterms showed Trump's approval among Latino voters falling sharply ¹.

A lot of people wrote us off. We had to beat our own party to get to where we are today.

Health care was central in this district. Villegas said it has "the most Medicaid recipients in the entire country." Medicaid is the federal-state health program for low-income and disabled Americans, and many nursing home residents rely on it ². KFF, a health policy research group, reports that 62% of district residents are enrolled in Medicaid, the largest enrollment of the program of any Republican-held congressional district ².

Valadao ultimately supported the reconciliation bill, the party-line budget law that included the health cuts, after saying he would not make significant Medicaid cuts ². Villegas has promised to "fight like hell to reverse that damage" from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act ². Valadao did not immediately respond to a request for comment ².

What happens next

Democrats gained control of Congress nationwide, according to KVPR ². Valadao and Newhouse will leave when the new Congress is sworn in. Nothing in the wire reports says when final results will be certified.

Analysis: the House Republicans who broke with Trump after Jan. 6 are no longer in the chamber. Valadao's own record shows the limit of that independence. He voted to impeach, yet he later backed the budget law carrying the Medicaid cuts ¹².

The Record

1. Jan 6, 2021Rioters attack the U.S. Capitol; Valadao later becomes one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump over it ¹.
2. Nov 4, 2026CBS News projects Valadao lost to Democrat Randy Villegas, leaving no impeachment-voting House Republican headed back to Congress ¹; AP calls the race for Villegas ².

Free to reprint Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter

Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.

<h2>Valadao loses, leaving no impeachment-voting House Republican headed back</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Capitol Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/valadao-loses-leaving-no-impeachment-voting-house-republican-headed-back">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.</em></p> <p>Rep. David Valadao, a California Republican, lost his reelection bid in the state&#39;s 22nd District, CBS News projected. His Democratic opponent was Randy Villegas . The Associated Press (AP) also called the race for Villegas on Wednesday morning .</p> <p>The loss makes Valadao the last of the House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol to lose reelection or announce a retirement . Ten House Republicans cast that vote. Before Tuesday, only two were still in Congress: Valadao and Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington, who is retiring .</p> <h2>A big margin in a redrawn district</h2> <p>Unofficial results had Villegas at 66.4% and Valadao at 33.6% when KVPR, a public radio station, published its report . Votes are still being counted, so those numbers could change.</p> <p>Valadao was first elected in 2012 and lost in 2018, when Democrats flipped more than 40 seats. He won the seat back in 2020 . California&#39;s congressional map was redrawn last year, in response to Republicans&#39; mid-decade redistricting push in Texas. That made the district more favorable to Democrats than it was in 2024 .</p> <p>House Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned with Valadao in September. He called the contest one of the &quot;top three or four races in America&quot; for Republicans trying to keep the House majority .</p> <h2>A primary fight, then a general-election win</h2> <p>Villegas is a progressive. He edged out a moderate Democrat in the top-two nonpartisan primary, which embarrassed establishment Democrats who had backed the moderate . The district is heavily Hispanic. That group shifted away from Democrats in 2024, but polls before the midterms showed Trump&#39;s approval among Latino voters falling sharply .</p> <blockquote><p>A lot of people wrote us off. We had to beat our own party to get to where we are today.</p><p>&mdash; Randy Villegas, Democrat, winner in California&#39;s 22nd District</p></blockquote> <p>Health care was central in this district. Villegas said it has &quot;the most Medicaid recipients in the entire country.&quot; Medicaid is the federal-state health program for low-income and disabled Americans, and many nursing home residents rely on it . KFF, a health policy research group, reports that 62% of district residents are enrolled in Medicaid, the largest enrollment of the program of any Republican-held congressional district .</p> <p>Valadao ultimately supported the reconciliation bill, the party-line budget law that included the health cuts, after saying he would not make significant Medicaid cuts . Villegas has promised to &quot;fight like hell to reverse that damage&quot; from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act . Valadao did not immediately respond to a request for comment .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Democrats gained control of Congress nationwide, according to KVPR . Valadao and Newhouse will leave when the new Congress is sworn in. Nothing in the wire reports says when final results will be certified.</p> <p>Analysis: the House Republicans who broke with Trump after Jan. 6 are no longer in the chamber. Valadao&#39;s own record shows the limit of that independence. He voted to impeach, yet he later backed the budget law carrying the Medicaid cuts .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/valadao-loses-leaving-no-impeachment-voting-house-republican-headed-back">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/valadao-loses-leaving-no-impeachment-voting-house-republican-headed-back.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

Copy the HTML Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.

Sources

1. CBS News, “House Republican who voted to impeach Trump loses reelection” (2026-11-04). cbsnews.com/news/california-22nd-district-results-david-vala
2. KVPR, “House District 22 flips for Democrat Randy Villegas as a blue wave hits nation” (2026-11-04). kvpr.org/government-politics/2026-11-04/house-district-22-fl

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.