LOS ANGELES (AP) — Republican Rep. David Valadao has won reelection in California’s 22nd Congressional District in the state's Central Valley farm belt, defeating Democrat Rudy Salas for the second time.
Valadao is an anomaly — an elected Republican in a heavily Democratic district in a heavily Democratic state. Democrats hold a 14-point registration edge in the district, but Valadao has kept a grip on the seat nonetheless. Valadao held the seat from 2013 until 2019, lost it for a term, then won it back in a 2020 rematch with Democrat T.J. Cox.
With control of the House on the line, Valadao's victory moved Republicans within two wins of retaining the gavel, with the tally 216-206 in favor of Republicans as counting continued in a sliver of races across the country.
Several toss-up races remained in play in California that could determine which party controls the House next year.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Ben Petersen said in a statement that Central Valley voters “picked a farmer who works with both parties to lower inflation, bring water to the Valley and defend their safety.”
In a region sometimes called America’s salad bowl for its vast agricultural production, Valadao stressed his efforts to secure more water for farmers and his willingness to work across the aisle, while painting Salas as a tax-and-spend Democrat. “David has ignored partisan bickering and demonstrated his commitment to local priorities,” his campaign said in a fundraising pitch.
Salas, considered a moderate, called Valadao a Trump follower posing as a centrist. He previously lost to Valadao in 2022.
Also Tuesday, The Associated Press called another California race, for Democrat George Whitesides, a former NASA chief of staff who had the support of national Democrats. He won a tough race to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia in California’s 27th Congressional District.
Garcia conceded Monday, saying he had congratulated Whitesides and would ensure a smooth handoff. Whitesides said in a statement that he had spoken with Garcia and thanked him for his service to the district and the nation. He said he would fight in Congress for good jobs and lower household costs.
Whitesides, who is also a former CEO of Virgin Galactic, said during the campaign that he would use his business experience to solve problems. He spotlighted Garcia’s opposition to abortion rights, calling him an extremist.
The last Republican congressman anchored in heavily Democratic Los Angeles County, Garcia, a former Navy pilot who flew over 30 combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, had displayed a surprising ability to beat the odds in a district with an 11-point Democratic registration edge.
The once-conservative 27th District runs through suburbs and high desert north of Los Angeles. Garcia, a supporter of former President Donald Trump with a conservative voting record, first won election campaigning against California’s liberal-leaning government: “I don’t want my country to turn into what my state has become,” he said at the time.
California is known as a liberal protectorate — Democrats hold every statewide office, dominate the Legislature and congressional delegation and outnumber registered Republicans by a staggering 2-1 ratio. Still, Republicans retain pockets of political clout in the Southern California suburbs and vast rural stretches including the Central Valley.
In Southern California's 49th District, which straddles San Diego and Orange counties, Democratic Rep. Mike Levin beat back a challenge from Republican Matt Gunderson.
FILE - Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., speaks ahead of President Joe Biden at a campaign event in support Levin, Nov. 3, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
FILE - Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides watches as the company's carrier aircraft flies over Spaceport America near Upham, N.M., Aug. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday, setting up a onetime critic who evolved into one of the president-elect’s fiercest defenders to become the nation’s top diplomat.
The conservative lawmaker is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump’s running mate this summer.
On Capitol Hill, Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has pushed for taking a harder line against China and has targeted social media app TikTok because its parent company is Chinese. He and other lawmakers contend that Beijing could demand access to the data of users whenever it wants.
“He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement.
Trump made the announcement while flying back back to Florida from Washington after meeting with President Joe Biden.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is bringing four advisers from his presidential campaign into his new White House as deputy chiefs of staff, including two longtime aides and the political director who played a key role in his victory.
Trump announced Wednesday that longtime aide Dan Scavino will serve as a deputy without giving a specific portfolio, campaign political director James Blair as deputy for legislative, political and public affairs, and Taylor Budowich as deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel. All will have the rank of assistant to the president.
Trump also formally announced Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner, will be deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser. That had previously been confirmed by Vice President-elect JD Vance on Monday.
Blair was the political director for Trump’s campaign and, once Trump became the presumptive GOP nominee, the political director for the Republican National Committee. He previously worked on Trump's 2020 campaign in Florida and was a top aide for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Scavino was a senior adviser on Trump’s campaign and, in his first term in the White House, he worked as a social media director.
He began working for Trump as a caddy at one of Trump’s golf courses, and was part of the small group of staffers who traveled with the president across the country for the entirety of the campaign. He frequently posts memes and videos of Trump's campaign travel online, cataloguing the campaign from the inside on social media.
Before joining the campaign, Budowich worked for the pro-Trump Super PAC, Maga Inc., and after Trump left office, Budowich served as his spokesman while working for Trump's political action committee, Save America.
“Dan, Stephen, James, and Taylor were ‘best in class’ advisors on my winning campaign, and I know they will honorably serve the American people in the White House,” Trump said in a statement. “They will continue to work hard to Make America Great Again in their respective new roles.”
Miller is one of Trump’s longest-serving aides, dating back to his first campaign for the White House. He was a senior adviser in Trump’s first term and has been a central figure in many of his policy decisions, particularly on immigration, including Trump’s move to separate thousands of immigrant families as a deterrence program in 2018.
FILE - Stephen Miller arrives before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
FILE - Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Allentown, Pa., Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
FILE - Stephen Miller arrives before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
