California Rep. David Valadao, the final Republican still serving who voted to impeach Donald Trump, lost his House seat to a progressive Democrat backed by Bernie Sanders.
Democrat Randy Villegas defeated the incumbent in California’s 22nd District, ending Valadao’s hold on the seat and closing out a long chapter for Republicans who broke ranks after the Jan. 6, 2021 protests in the nation’s capital.
Just the News reported that Valadao fell on Wednesday, while Associated Press tallies showed Villegas at 66.4% as of Thursday morning with 57% of the vote counted.
Valadao was the last of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump and still held a seat in Congress. Some of the others retired. Others lost to challengers, including Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who fell to opponents who had Trump’s backing, the Washington Examiner has noted in earlier coverage of that group.
The race did not turn on one vote alone. A redistricting push last November led the Cook Political Report to reclassify the district from “lean Republican” to “toss-up,” stripping Valadao of a clearer path.
He also drew fire for supporting cuts to federal healthcare programs, a line of attack that stuck in a competitive cycle. Villegas, described as a progressive political newcomer, entered with outside help that mattered.
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont endorsed the Democrat, and other sitting Democrats in Congress piled on. That coalition gave a first-time contender national progressive credibility in a district that had just been redrawn into harder terrain for a Republican already marked by the 2021 impeachment vote.
Voters closed the book on the last GOP impeachment holdout still wearing a congressional pin. The pattern matches what happened to others in that group of 10 who either left or got beaten after crossing Trump and a large share of the Republican base.
House Democrats continue to debate whether another run at Trump is smart politics or a dead end. Leadership signals have been mixed, from Jeffries leaving a Trump impeachment option open while pitching affordability, to warnings that a third effort could backfire.
Valadao’s defeat shows the price Republicans paid inside their own coalition for joining Democrats on impeachment five years earlier. For Democrats, the win hands a Sanders-aligned newcomer a California seat once rated lean Republican before the lines moved.
Some party voices still urge restraint. Harris has told Democrats a third Trump impeachment is not a good idea even if they retake the House, arguing the fight should stay elsewhere.
Others keep the door cracked. Schiff has left open the chance of another impeachment push if Democrats control Congress, keeping the old playbook alive for activists who never moved on.
Trump has treated the chatter as noise. After recent talk of a third effort, Trump shrugged off third impeachment speculation rather than treating it as a governing crisis.
Even some Democratic strategists want a different focus. Rahm Emanuel has urged Democrats to chase ethics rules instead of another impeachment drama, a reminder that not every party operative sees endless process fights as a winner.
In California’s 22nd, the immediate result is simpler: the last sitting Republican who voted to impeach Trump is out, and a progressive backed by Sanders is in, with the final certified margin still pending as more ballots are counted.
Primary voters and general-election majorities keep delivering the same message, break with the base on Trump, and the seat becomes fair game.
