Randy Villegas, a political scientist and school board trustee backed by progressives including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, advanced in a high-profile primary in a battleground Central Valley House district, according to The Associated Press. Democrats view the district as crucial to their efforts to regain control of Congress this fall.<\/p>\n
In the general election, Mr. Villegas will face Representative David Valadao, a vulnerable but battle-tested Republican who has survived many past attempts to oust him. Democrats are eager to test the new lines they drew in Mr. Valadao\u2019s Bakersfield-area district last year to make it even more competitive; they are also bullish about their ability to win back Latino voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mr. Villegas \u2014 a populist who unabashedly calls for Medicare for all \u2014 is unusually liberal for the battleground district. Like many progressive candidates this year, he argued that his left-wing brand of politics was more likely to animate voters frustrated by such issues as health care costs, even in a region with a significant share of Republicans.<\/p>\n Mr. Villegas faced a tough Democratic opponent in Dr. Jasmeet Bains, a moderate California assemblywoman and physician who was backed by the establishment wing of the party. She is known as a \u201cValleycrat\u201d \u2014 a term for a moderate Central Valley Democrat \u2014 and was considered a traditional pick whose politics were more typical for the swing district.<\/p>\n