| Office | Member of the Visalia Unified School District Board of Education Area 6 District |
|---|---|
| Term start | December 9, 2021 |
| Birth date | 1995 (age 31–32) |
| Birth place | Bakersfield, California, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Bakersfield College (AA) California State University, Bakersfield (BA) University of California, Santa Cruz (PhD) |
| Alma mater | University of California, Santa Cruz |
| Occupation | Political scientist · professor · politician |
Randy Villegas (born c. 1995) is an American political scientist, educator, and politician from Kern County, California. He is a professor of political science at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia and a member of the Visalia Unified School District Board of Education, where he has served since 2021.[1][2] He is a candidate in the 2026 election for California's 22nd congressional district.[3]
Early life and education
Villegas was born and raised in Bakersfield, California, the son of Mexican immigrants.[4] His family received Medicaid and food assistance while he was growing up.[5] He attended Bakersfield College, then earned a bachelor's degree in political science and history from California State University, Bakersfield.[3] He received a full fellowship to the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he completed a doctorate in politics.[4][3] He was the first member of his family to earn a college degree.[6]
Before entering politics, Villegas worked as a journalist at Kern Sol News and wrote for the Bakersfield Californian.[2][6]
Career
Education
Villegas teaches political science at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia.[3] In 2025, the American Political Science Association awarded him its Community College Faculty Award for his teaching, mentorship, and voter-registration work with students.[2]
School board
In December 2021, the Visalia Unified School District Board of Education appointed Villegas to fill a vacancy in Trustee Area 6 by a 4–1 vote.[1] He was elected to the seat in November 2022.[7]
2026 congressional campaign
In April 2025, Villegas announced his candidacy for California's 22nd congressional district in the 2026 midterm elections, challenging incumbent Republican David Valadao.[4] The district, which spans parts of Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties, is approximately 75% Latino and has the highest rate of Medicaid enrollment of any Republican-held congressional district in the country.[8]
Villegas has run on a platform of Medicare for All, prescription drug price caps, and opposition to cuts to Medicaid and federal nutrition programs.[3][4] He has refused corporate PAC donations.[5]
The race attracted national attention as a contest between competing Democratic strategies for winning back voters in working-class districts. CalMatters described the primary as an example of the party's debate over whether to pursue centrist or economically populist approaches.[3] U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Villegas in November 2025.[5] Other endorsements include Dolores Huerta,[9] the Working Families Party,[5] the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC,[10] and U.S. Representative Ro Khanna.[11]
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee endorsed his primary opponent, Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, which drew public criticism from the Congressional Progressive Caucus and several Democratic members of Congress.[10][12]
Publications
- Kraybill; Mirakazmi; Villegas (2017). "Chapter 8: Tweeting Religion: The Impact of Religious Language and Rhetoric in the 2016 Presidential Election". Unconventional, Partisan and Polarizing Rhetoric. Lexington Books
References
- ^ "Villegas fills vacancy for VUSD board". The Sun-Gazette. December 9, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ "Randy Villegas Receives the 2025 APSA Community College Faculty Award". American Political Science Association. August 13, 2025. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ Moore, Maya C. (February 12, 2026). "California Democrats are split on how to win swing votes". CalMatters. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ Huh, Jenny (April 15, 2025). "Meet Kern's 2026 primary candidates: One-on-one interview with CD-22 hopeful Randy Villegas". KGET 17 News. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ Smith, Allan (November 17, 2025). "Bernie Sanders endorses Randy Villegas, wading into a Democratic fight in a key House battleground". NBC News. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ "From first-gen student to Congressional candidate: Randy Villegas aims to uplift the valley". South Kern Sol. April 21, 2025. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ "Randy Villegas declares candidacy and pulls paper to run for Visalia Unified School Board Area 6". Valley Voice. July 29, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ "Valadao's Medicaid vote could cost him his California seat". CalMatters. February 2, 2026. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ "Labor leader Huerta endorses Democrat Randy Villegas in 22nd congressional District race". The Bakersfield Californian. 2025. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ "House progressives knock DCCC for picking sides in contested primary". The Hill. May 2026. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ "Rep. Ro Khanna endorses Randy Villegas for CA's 22nd Congressional District race". Bakersfield Now. September 2025. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ Johnson, Jake (2026). "Dem Establishment Accused of 'Putting Thumb on the Scale' Against Progressive Candidate". Common Dreams. Retrieved May 6, 2026.