Progressive Randy Villegas is the projected winner of a tough primary election in California’s Central Valley against Jasmeet Bains.

Villegas will advance to the general election to face incumbent Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) in November’s general election. It’s an important race, as Democrats hope to flip enough Republican seats in order to retake control of the House of Representatives.

Progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) backed Villegas in a split with Democratic Party leadership, which viewed Bains, a member of the California State Assembly, as a superior opponent against Valadao. It was one of several midterm races where progressives and party leaders worked against each other this year.

“Despite the onslaught of outside corporate money spent against us, we have shown that working people are ready for change,” Villegas said in a victory statement.

Despite its earlier preference for Bains, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee quickly threw its weight behind Villegas after the Associated Press projected his victory on Tuesday, a week after Election Day.

“Randy Villegas is a son of the Valley and has spent his career fighting for working families too often left behind by Valadao’s failed leadership.” DCCC chair Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) said in a statement. “He’s the kind of people-first leader Valley voters deserve.”

Villegas, a college professor, told HuffPost last month a more progressive candidate would be a better contrast in the general election.

“This is a district that should have been flippable a decade ago, but we have Democrats who run Republican-like campaigns, who take the same corporate PAC money, take the same money from AIPAC as Valadao, and we’re here to offer people something different, something to actually believe in, and something to fight for,” Villegas said, referencing political action committees and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Republicans played up Democrats’ push for Bains in their reaction to Villegas advancing to the general, noting some progressives on Capitol Hill were annoyed the party’s official campaign arm got involved in the primary at all.

“They tried to sink him. They failed. Now national Democrats are staring down a reality where they could be stuck with the socialist nominee they tried to take out themselves,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella said in a press release.

The district, California’s 22nd, will have more Democratic voters this fall after California Democrats redrew their maps to counter Republican gerrymandering in Texas.

Healthcare will likely be a major topic of the general election campaign. Valadao’s district has the highest proportion of Medicaid beneficiaries in the U.S., and he was one of several moderate Republicans who said he wouldn’t support Medicaid cuts last year but then voted for a bill that will shrink program enrollment by several million.

The law has not been popular in surveys, and Republicans have sought to rebrand it as the “Working Families Tax Cut” after President Donald Trump named it the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” The bill used cuts to Medicaid and food assistance to offset part of the cost of more than $4 trillion in tax cuts.

Bains, a family doctor who’s served in the state Legislature since 2022, said she did not consider herself part of the Democratic establishment.

“I consider myself a physician that’s working to increase access to healthcare,” Bains told HuffPost last week. “I consider myself a person that has always worked to protect vulnerable communities. My community knows very well the work that I’ve done here.”

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.