Central Valley doctor and Assemblymember vows to put working families ahead of partisan politics

DELANO, CA — Today, family physician Dr. Jasmeet Bains announced her campaign for Congress in California’s 22nd District, pledging to bring new leadership to a region often ignored by Washington D.C.​

“I’m a doctor, not a career politician — and I’ve spent my life on the frontlines, listening to Valley families and fighting for their health, their safety, and their future,” said Dr. Bains. “I’m running for Congress because we deserve better than broken promises and backroom deals, and our communities are tired of getting left behind. We deserve a representative who will actually show up, and stand up, for the Valley.”

Dr. Bains is a family and addiction doctor who serves as the Central Valley's Chief Medical Officer for the California Medical Assistance team, which organizes emergency health services across the state. Raised in Delano, the daughter of immigrants, and the first in her family to become a doctor, Dr. Bains represents the Kern County area in the State Assembly. Since her election in 2022 with strong bipartisan support, she has emerged as a relentless advocate for underserved communities, a champion for rural healthcare, and a leader in addressing the addiction and fentanyl crisis — while pushing to bring good-paying jobs and long-overdue investment back to the Central Valley for working families.

She’s now stepping up to challenge Rep. David Valadao, who has voted in lockstep with Donald Trump and House Republican leadership to gut Medi-Cal, slash food assistance, and back a budget that would devastate working families across the Valley.

“David Valadao doesn’t work for us — he works for the donors and D.C. insiders who drive up drug prices and fund his campaigns as families here are rationing care,” said Dr. Bains. “In the middle of an affordability crisis in the Central Valley, while our communities struggle to afford care, food, or clean water, Valadao just voted to gut Medi-Cal that provides 68% of the affordable healthcare in our community, jack up prescription drug prices, and cut off food assistance for thousands of hardworking folks. That’s not leadership — that’s betrayal.”

CA-22 includes Bakersfield, Delano, Hanford, and communities across Kern, Kings, and Tulare Counties — one of the most diverse and economically vital regions in California. Dr. Bains’ campaign will focus on ensuring every family in the Valley can access affordable healthcare and economic opportunity — no matter their zip code.

Valadao’s vote for the GOP’s “One Big Ugly Budget” would:

• Strip health coverage from at least 65,000 people in CA-22

• Cut food assistance for more than 60,000 households

• Nearly 500,000 residents in CA-22 rely on Medi-Cal for their health coverage – 68% of the district.

“For too long, politicians in both parties have treated the Central Valley like an afterthought,” Dr. Bains added. “I’m running to change that — because this district is my home, and I’ll never stop fighting for it.”

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Dr. Jasmeet Bains is a Central Valley doctor and State Assemblymember who has spent her life fighting for working families. The daughter of immigrants and a Delano native, she served on the frontlines of California’s wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic before winning office in 2022. In Sacramento, she’s delivered results — from tackling the fentanyl crisis to bringing a new medical school to Kern County — and continues to lead the fight for healthcare, clean water, and dignity for vulnerable Californians, all while still treating patients at her hometown clinic on weekends. California’s 22nd Congressional District spans parts of Kern, Tulare, and Kings Counties — including many communities Dr. Bains already represents in the State Assembly.