House Republican who voted to impeach Trump loses reelection

Republican Rep. David Valadao of California has lost his seat, CBS News projected, after facing Democrat Randy Villegas in the state's 22nd District. His defeat means every House Republican who backed impeaching President Trump over the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol has now either been beaten or announced a departure. Of the 10 who cast that vote, just Valadao and Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington were still serving, and Newhouse is retiring.

Valadao first won office in 2012, lost in 2018 during a Democratic wave that flipped more than 40 House seats, and reclaimed the district in 2020. Villegas, a progressive, reached the general election by narrowly beating a moderate fellow Democrat in the top-two primary, a result that embarrassed party leaders who had stepped in on the moderate's behalf. The district has a large Hispanic population, a group that moved away from Democrats in 2024, though pre-election polling showed Trump's standing among Latino voters sinking. Separately, California's map was redrawn last year to counter a Texas redistricting effort by Republicans, leaving it friendlier to Democrats.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CBS News’s reporting. Read the full story at CBS News →