Jasmeet Bains, a physician and a California state assemblymember, is preparing to launch a campaign this month against Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), according to two people familiar with her plans.
Democrats are excited about recruiting Bains, who has a resume tailor-made for the political moment. Bains is a doctor who specializes in family medicine and addiction. Valadao, despite his vocal reservations, just voted for President Donald Trump’s signature legislation that will enact roughly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts.
This is a vote that shocked even some Republicans. California’s 22nd District is agricultural-heavy and low-income. It is exactly the kind of district that relies greatly on rural hospitals and will be hit hard by reductions to Medicaid funding.
The district spans from Bakersfield into Kings and Tulare counties and has more than 60% of its population on Medicaid.
Bains is the first South Asian woman elected to the state legislature, where she has represented Kern County since 2023. She’s also the Central Valley’s Chief Medical Officer for the California Medical Assistance Team, which organizes emergency health services for the state.
The state assemblywoman has already starred in a TV ad urging Valadao not to slash Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program.
“I’m trying to see as many patients as I can because Congress is trying to cut their Medi-Cal,” Bains said in the spot, which was paid for by a group called Health Care Saves Lives.
In a statement after the vote, Valadao said he had concerns about the bill but ultimately chose to back it after being “assured by the administration” that extra funding would ensure the survival of at-risk hospitals. Valadao also touted “dozens of other policy provisions that directly benefit” the district, including eliminating taxes on tips and overtime.
California’s jungle primary system makes the contest trickier for both parties. Randy Villegas, a school board trustee in Visalia, is also running as a Democrat. Valadao frequently draws primary challengers.
Valadao’s district is heavily Hispanic and shifted to the right at the presidential level in 2024. The lawmaker lost reelection in 2018 and regained his seat in 2020.
