The California representative might be able to thank his victory in part because he voted to impeach former President Donald Trump. With 98% of the vote counted in the district, Valadao claimed 52% to 48% for his opponent. This gave him a margin of approximately 3,400 votes, enough for the race to be called in his favor.
November 24, 2022
He is one of just ten Republicans that voted in favor of impeaching Trump after the January 6th Capitol insurrection. The only other Republican who voted for impeachment and was re-elected is Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse from Washington. All others either retired from their seats, or were defeated by Trump-backed primary opponents.
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Democrats held on to a 17-point registration advantage in Valadao's district, but it didn't make the difference in this race. Valadao could point to his impeachment vote and some other votes he has taken to prove his bi-partisan credentials to enough voters to win the seat yet again. He must have convinced some Democrats to vote for him because he won the seat despite the headwinds.
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November 24, 2022
Valadao held the seat from 2013 to 2019, lost it for one term, and then won it back in a rematch with Democrat T.J. Cox. It's one of those seats that can seemingly swing back and forth between the two parties. Democrats certainly have their eyes on this seat for the next election and many elections in the future, but for now, this anti-Trump Republican manages to hold on to the seat.
It will be interesting to see how other House Republicans might accept this individual into the fold or, maybe they won't.
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