BAKERSFIELD. CALIF, (KERO) — Valadao discusses plans for the 22nd district, his stance on deportations, and working with President-elect Trump.
- David Valadao won reelection in the 22nd Congressional District with 53% of the vote.
- Valadao attributes his win to voter dissatisfaction with the current economy.
- Valadao addresses concerns about mass deportations, focusing on criminal elements.
- Valadao's vote to impeach Trump may affect his work relationship with the President-elect.
- Rudy Salas concedes and respects the voters' decision, expressing continued inspiration.
For your convenience, the skimmable summary above is generated with the assistance of AI and fact checked by our team prior to publication. Read the full story as originally reported below.
Broadcast transcript:
One of the closest watched races in this election was the 22nd congressional district. We'll hear from the winner and his plans for the next two years in congress.
Republican David Valadao won 53 percent of the vote, while his opponent, Democrat Rudy Salas won 47 percent. Valadao says he expected a much tighter race… he says part of it was the people who voted missed, "the old way of life."
"The Biden economy has been really tough and I represent a very poor district and high fuel prices, high food prices, high housing prices all of those things played a big role in this." He said.
We asked Valadao about plans by President-elect Trump to carry out mass deportations. Many residents in the 22nd district are undocumented and have concerns about that.
"The focus is on people that came here to commit crimes, and we know for a fact there were people coming across our border on terrorist watch list people that are connected to cartels drug traffickers and human traffickers." Valadao said.
Valadao was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump. Will that affect his work relationship with the President-elect?
"We're going to have to work together and hopefully we're both able to move on and do that and that is what my expectation is I know I'll be able to do that and I assume he'll have to do that." He told 23 ABC.
As for Valadao's opponent, Rudy Salas sent a statement to our newsroom on Thursday afternoon saying "Despite running a strong campaign we will come up short of the election results we hoped for. I respect the decision of the voters and our democratic processes…"
Salas says he continues to remain inspired and extends his congratulations to Valadao.
With Rudy Salas losing again to David Valadao, some wonder if this is the last time he will run for congress.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
