“She repeatedly has proven her willingness to prioritize her district and her constituents’ wellbeing, rather than her party’s.”

DELANO, CA - The Bakersfield Californian officially gave their recommendation for Dr. Jasmeet Bains as the strongest Democratic candidate to take on David Valadao in the race for California’s 22nd Congressional District. The Californian cited her long record of legislative experience, fit for the district, and proven ability to “prioritize her district and her constituents’ wellbeing, rather than her party’s.”

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• Bains is the better fit for the district. Representing parts of Kern in the Assembly since 2022, Bains has far more legislative experience than Villegas.  

• She repeatedly has proven her willingness to prioritize her district and her constituents’ wellbeing, rather than her party’s.

• Villegas’ campaign has cast Bains as unreliable. And that she is. She will not “reliably” fall in line with her political party – as we see so many congressional Republicans and Democrats are doing.

• “I’m faithful to my district, not a party or label,” Bains told the news outlet CalMatters. “I didn’t study politics. I studied my community through the lens of being a doctor. And what the Central Valley wants is people who are going to put them first in Washington.”

• The daughter of Indian immigrants, who grew up in Delano, after graduating from medical school she returned home to complete her residency serving low-income residents with Clinica Sierra Vista. On weekends and during legislative recesses, she continues practicing medicine.

• “I never intended to run for Congress,” Bains told The Californian. “I wanted to fix the problems I see with the state’s failures to combat fentanyl, and I wanted to build a medical school in Kern County. But then Washington passed the largest cut to healthcare in American history.”

• About 68% of 22nd District residents rely on Medi-Cal, or Medicaid, which congressional Republicans cut with the passage of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. The removal of subsidies for the Affordable Care Act has sent premiums skyrocketing. Valadao voted for the bill.

• At a meeting last month, Kern County administrators warned the Board of Supervisors that 50,000 county residents could lose their health coverage and turn to public services for care. The county’s cost for providing for the medically indigent was estimated to be between $50 million and $90 million.

• Affordability and medical care will be huge issues as the race to decide who will represent the 22nd Congressional District heads into the November election. The most robust contest will be between Republican incumbent David Valadao and Democrat Jasmeet Bains.

About Dr. Jasmeet Bains
Dr. Jasmeet Bains is a Central Valley family 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 wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic before winning office in 2022. In Sacramento, she’s delivered results —securing $20 million to enhance public safety and tackle the Central Valley's fentanyl crisis. She continues to lead the fight for more affordable and accessible 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, Kings, Fresno and Madera Counties — including many communities Dr. Bains already represents in the State Assembly.

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