David Valadao

David Valadao
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 21st district
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded by Devin Nunes
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 30th district
In office
December 6, 2010 – November 30, 2012
Preceded by Danny Gilmore
Succeeded by Rudy Salas
Personal details
Born David Goncalves Valadao
(1977-04-14) April 14, 1977
Hanford, California, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Terra Valadao
Education College of the Sequoias
Website valadao.house.gov

David Goncalves Valadao /ˌvæləˈdeɪoʊ/ (born April 14, 1977) is an American politician who has been a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing California's 21st congressional district, since 2013. Prior to that, he served one term in the California State Assembly, representing the 30th district. He is a member of the Republican Party. Fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish, Valadao is one of five House Republicans who represent a Hispanic-majority district and has gained a reputation as one of the Republican Party's leading advocates of comprehensive immigration reform.[1][2]

Early life and education

Valadao with Devin Nunes in June 2004

Valadao was born and raised in Hanford, California. His parents are Portuguese immigrants; his father grew up on the Azore Islands. In a 2013 interview, Valadao said that his parents were initially registered Democrats, but later switched to the Republican Party.[3]

Valadao graduated from Hanford High School in 1995.[4] From 1996 to 1998,[5] he attended the College of the Sequoias in Visalia as a part-time student, but did not graduate.[6]

Agriculture career

Valadao's father established a dairy farm in Kings County, California in 1969. Along with his brother, he became a partner in Valadao Dairy in 1992.[6] He has been a member of the California Milk Advisory Board, Western States Dairy Trade Association, and Regional Leadership Council Chairman for Land O' Lakes.[7]

In March 2018, Valadao, a general partner of Triple V Dairy, was named in two lawsuits against the dairy for defaulting on almost $9 million in loans and for failing to pay a supplier.[8] In June 2018, a bank seized the dairy and sold it off to pay its debts. Valadao stated: "Like so many family dairy farms across the country, burdensome government regulations made it impossible for the operation to remain open."[9]

California Assembly

2010 election

Valadao announced his candidacy for California's 30th State Assembly district following the retirement of Republican Assemblyman Danny Gilmore in 2010. He defeated Stephanie Campbell in the Republican primary 78%–22%.[10] In the general election, he defeated Shafter Mayor Fran Florez 61%–39%.[11][12]

Committee assignments

  • Assembly Agriculture Committee (Vice Chairman)
  • Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee
  • Assembly Budget Committee

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2012

Valadao announced in August 2011 that he would seek the Republican nomination for California's 21st congressional district.[13] The district had previously been the 20th District, represented by four-term Democrat Jim Costa. However, redistricting had shifted most of the district's share of Fresno to the new 16th District, and Costa sought reelection there.

In the June 5 open primary, he ranked first with 57% of the vote, ahead of Democrat John Hernandez – the head of the local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce – and Fresno city councilman Blong Xiong.[14] In the November 6 election, he defeated Hernandez by a margin of 58%–42%.[15] His campaign victory in a district that had long been held by Democrats was cited in an op-ed article in The Wall Street Journal as a potential template for the GOP, while other analysts cited his opponent's "weakness as a candidate and a campaigner" as playing a major role.[16]

2014

Valadao ran for reelection in November 2014. His challengers were Democrat Amanda Renteria, a former political aide for Dianne Feinstein and Debbie Stabenow,[17] and John Hernandez, the Democratic nominee whom he defeated in 2012.[18] In the June 3 primary, he ranked first once again with 63% of the vote, and received majorities of 60% or higher in every county except for Kern. In the November 4 general election, Valadao won reelection to his second term with 58% of the vote.[19]

2016

Valadao ran for reelection to a third term in November 2016. His first challenger was Democrat Daniel Parra, the Mayor pro tem of Fowler, California.[20] Another Democratic challenger was Connie Perez, an accountant in Pasadena, California, who grew up in Tulare; however, due to issues regarding her residency outside of the district, as well as an alleged recent change in party affiliation, Perez dropped out less than a month after announcing her candidacy.[21][22] In January 2016, Emilio Huerta, son of United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, announced his candidacy for the race as a Democrat.[23] In the primary on June 7, Valadao once again came in first with 58.2% of the vote, while Parra finished narrowly ahead of Huerta. However, in the following days, enough absentee ballots came in to allow Huerta to overtake Parra, with 24.2% to Parra's 21.8%, while Valadao's vote total fell to 54%.[24][25] In the general election, Valadao won reelection with 56.7% of the vote to Huerta's 43.3%.[26]

2018

In 2018, Valadao was initially set to face Huerta again in a rematch, with Huerta announcing his bid in May 2017.[27] However, Huerta suspended his campaign in March 2018, with his reason being a lack of sufficient funding to effectively challenge Valadao.[28][29] After Huerta’s withdrawal, engineer T.J. Cox of Fresno announced that he would challenge Valadao.[30] Cox had previously announced a challenge to Republican Congressman Jeff Denham in the 10th district before switching to Valadao’s seat.[31]

Tenure

He and Democrat Jim Costa are the leaders of the Portuguese Caucus in the U.S. Congress.

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Political positions

For 114th United States Congress, Valadao was ranked as the 42nd most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives (and the third most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California) in the Bipartisan Index created by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy that ranks members of the United States Congress by their degree of bipartisanship (by measuring the frequency each member's bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party and each member's co-sponsorship of bills by members of the opposite party).[35]

As of September 2018, Valadao had voted with his party in 92.2% of votes in the United States Congress.[36]

Vote Smart Political Courage Test

According to Vote Smart's 2016 analysis, Valadao generally supports pro-life legislation, opposes an income tax increase, opposes requiring states to adopt federal education standards, supports lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth, supports the building of the Keystone Pipeline, supports government funding for the development of renewable energy, opposes the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, opposes gun-control legislation, supports repealing the Affordable Care Act, opposes requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship, opposes same-sex marriage, and supports increased American intervention in Iraq and Syria beyond air support.[37]

Donald Trump and the 2016 presidential election

Valadao "was one of the first Republican supporters of Donald Trump's candidacy." He expressed support for Donald Trump from October 2015 to May 2016 but temporarily rescinded his support in June 2016, saying he could not support a candidate who "denigrates people based on their ethnicity, religion, or disabilities."[38]

In February 2017, he voted against a resolution that would have directed the House to request ten years of Trump's tax returns, which would then have been reviewed by the House Ways and Means Committee in a closed session.[39]

As of April 2018, Valadao had "voted with Trump policies nearly 99 percent of the time, tied for second place as the 'most Trump-aligned,' along with more than 40 other GOP House caucus members."[40]

FiveThirtyEight found that, as of September 2018, Valadao had voted in line with President Trump's position 99% of the time, and was the most partisan Trump supporter in the U.S. House when compared to his district's voting patterns.[41]

Environment

Valadao rejects the proposition that climate change has anything to do with the drought that California has been experiencing since 2011, blaming "environmental regulations" for it instead.[42] Jay Famiglietti, senior water scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, says that Valadao is incorrect.[43]

In 2017, he introduced H.R. 23, the Gaining Responsibility on Water Act (GROW Act), which would modernize water policies and permit California farmers to use more water. Also in 2017, he co-sponsored, with Kevin McCarthy, H.R. 806 the Ozone Standards Implementation Act, which would challenge EPA's standards, which he considers excessively restrictive.[40]

Food stamps

In 2013, Valadao was one of just 15 House Republicans to vote against a Republican-backed bill "that makes deep cuts in food stamp spending."[44]

Government shutdown

In September 2013, in response to threats of a government shutdown over defunding of the Affordable Care Act, Valadao cosponsored the Government Shutdown Fairness Act, which would prevent all members of Congress from receiving their salaries if a shutdown occurred.[45]

Healthcare

Valadao is in favor of repealing the Affordable Care Act. On May 4, 2017, Valadao voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA).[46][47] Valadao said, "The American Health Care Act will stabilize our health-care system, ensuring our community has access to high quality, affordable health care."[48] Valadao stated that one aspect of AHCA that he liked was $8 billion in funding over five years to help insure those with preexisting conditions in so-called "high-risk pools".[49] Deborah Kelch, a former legislative analyst for the state of California, has expressed doubt that there is enough funding available to eblish affordable and effective high risk pools.[49] The revised version of AHCA allows states to get waivers to allow insurers to charge individuals with preexisting conditions more.[50]

In June 2017, Valadao and Jeff Denham (CA-10) introduced the Assessing Critical Care Efforts to Strengthen Services (ACCESS) Act. It would correct California's Medicaid reimbursement method, thus encouraging physicians to operate in the Central Valley and to ensure patient access to doctors and specialists.[51]

In July 2017, Valadao and five other members of Congress introduced the Training the Next Generation of Primary Care Doctors Act of 2017, which would reauthorize the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program. It would expand existing programs at health centers and establish new teaching health centers. "By reauthorizing the THC Graduate Medical Education (GME) Program, and prioritizing rural and medically underserved areas, our bill will ensure our most disadvantaged communities, like California's Central Valley, have access to the primary care services they deserve."[52]

Immigration

Valadao has fought for comprehensive immigration reform.[2][53] In August 2014, Valadao broke ranks with the Republican Party and voted against a bill that would have dismantled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.[54] Valadao supports a permanent solution for DACA. He has said that DACA is not a partisan issue and that Congress "must come together to provide a legislative solution so these individuals may continue to live in the only home they know: the United States."[40]

In 2013, Valadao was one of three House Republicans to support H.R. 15, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. In 2015, he voted against a defense bill amendment that would ban illegal aliens from the military. He also cosponsored both H.R. 496, the Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy (BRIDGE) Act, and H.R. 1468, the Recognizing America’s Children (RAC) Act, which would provide a path to legal status for persons brought to the U.S. illegally as children.[40]

On February 23, 2017, Valadao called for a bipartisan solution to the U.S. immigration system. Later in 2017, Valadao and nine other lawmakers wrote to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan asking for legislation to address the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.[55]

In March 2018, he cosponsored H. Res. 774, described by Valadao as "a legislative maneuver that will allow the House to individually debate and vote on four different pieces of immigration legislation."[40]

In June 2018, Valadao released a statement about the "zero tolerance" policy of the Department of Justice, which involved separating children and parents at the Mexican border. "The substantial increase of minors at our southern border is both a humanitarian and national security crisis," Valadao wrote. "While we must work towards a solution that reduces the occurrence of illegal border crossings, it is unacceptable to separate young children from their parents. This is exactly why passage of a compromise solution, such as that being discussed in Congress right now, is absolutely necessary."[56]

Marijuana

Valadao has a "D" rating from NORML for his voting history regarding cannabis-related causes. Valadao opposes veterans having access to medical marijuana if recommended by their Veterans Health Administration doctor and if it is legal for medicinal purposes in their state of residence.[57]

Taxes

In December 2017, Valadao voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.[58] Valadao says that the "outdated tax code" negatively impacts his constituents. He says the new tax code will be "simpler" and that his community will see more jobs, improved economic growth, and higher wages.[59]

Trade

Valadao has criticized the Trump administration's imposition of tariffs against Chinese steel and aluminum imports, which prompted China to impose retaliatory tariffs on a range of U.S. agriculture products. In May 2018, Valadao sent a letter to United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, expressing concern over the tariffs' negative impacts on the Central Valley's economy. Valadao wrote: "Not only do the proposed tariffs fail to adequately remedy China's unfair practices, such tariffs seriously jeopardize our farmers' access to export markets, which accounts for roughly twenty percent of their production."[60]

In an April 2018 letter to President Trump, Valadao urged him to "reconsider the idea of broad tariffs to avoid unintended negative consequences to the U.S. economy and its workers."[40]

Veterans

In January 2017, Valadao introduced H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, "to grant presumptive Agent Orange exposure status to U.S. service members who served in the territorial seas of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. This would enable eligible veterans to receive expedited consideration for Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits if they suffer from any of the diseases the U.S. Government has linked to Agent Orange." In August 2017, Valadao and Democratic congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), sent a letter urging the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans have access to medical care from the VA.[61]

Electoral history

California's 30th State Assembly district, 2010 (Republican primary):[10]

  • David Valadao – 11,296 (78%)
  • Stephanie Campbell – 3,213 (22%)

California's 30th State Assembly district, 2010[11]

  • David Valadao – 37,392 (61%)
  • Fran Florez – 24,386 (39%)

California's 21st congressional district, 2012:

  • David Valadao – 49,205 (60%)
  • John Hernandez – 32,967 (40%)

California's 21st congressional district, 2014:

California's 21st congressional district, 2016:

  • David Valadao – 75,126 (56.7%)
  • Emilio Jesus Huerta – 57,282 (43.3%)

Honors and awards

In August 2014, the United States Chamber of Commerce awarded Valadao its Spirit of Enterprise Award.[2] Valadao won the same award again less than two years later, in a 2016.[62] Valadao was the poorest member of Congress in 2014, with over $12 million in loans to his family's dairy farm.[63]

Personal life

Valadao lives in Hanford with his wife, Terra, and their three children.[64]

References

  1. ↑ Finnegan, Michael (September 3, 2014). "How the California GOP Can Benefit from Low Voter Turnout". Governing. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Joseph, Cameron (August 25, 2014). "Chamber gives pro-immigration Rep. Valadao its top award". The Hill. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  3. ↑ Trujillo, Mario; Rep. David Valadao is proof that the GOP can appeal to Hispanic voters; The Hill; May 6, 2013; http://thehill.com/capital-living/new-member-of-the-week/297831-rep-david-valadao-is-proof-that-the-gop-can-appeal-to-hispanic-voters
  4. ↑ Cassandra Sandoval, David Valadao keeps Congress seat, Kinsburg Recorder (November 16, 2016).
  5. ↑ VALADAO, David G., (1977 - ), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  6. 1 2 Calif., 21st House District: David Valadao (R), The Atlantic (November 6, 2012).
  7. ↑ "David Valadao Biography". California State Assembly. Archived from the original on June 26, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  8. ↑ Calix, Brianna; Rep. David Valadao family's dairy slapped with lawsuits, revealing financial trouble, Fresno Bee (March 13, 2018).
  9. ↑ Garcia, Eric; Bank Seizes Valadao’s Family Farm,Roll Call (June 13, 2018).
  10. 1 2 "CA State Assembly 30- R Primary Race – Jun 08, 2010". Our Campaigns.
  11. 1 2 "CA State Assembly 30 Race – Nov 02, 2010". Our Campaigns.
  12. ↑ Wenner, Gretchen (November 3, 2011). "Florez loss bucks state trend". Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  13. ↑ Nidever, Seth (August 2, 2011). "Valadao says he's running for Congress". Hanford Sentinel. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  14. ↑ "CA – District 21 – Open Primary Race – Jun 05, 2012". Our Campaigns.
  15. ↑ "CA – District 21 Race – Nov 06, 2012". Our Campaigns.
  16. ↑ Nidever, Seth (November 23, 2012). "Valadao win a 'template' for GOP?". Hanford Sentinel. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Valadao, Vidak, Cannella off to strong fundraising start". The Fresno Bee. February 3, 2014. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Election notebook: GOP releases poll showing Valadao well ahead". Bakersfield Californian. February 13, 2014.
  19. ↑ "U.S. House of Representatives District 21 - Districtwide Results". November 17, 2014. Archived from the original on November 18, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  20. ↑ Cahn, Emily (April 6, 2015). "Democrat Announces Bid Against Valadao in California". Roll Call. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  21. ↑ Ellis, John (October 9, 2015). "Tulare County native Connie Perez enters 21st Congressional race". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Perez drops out of 21st race". Central Valley Observer. November 3, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  23. ↑ Panzar, Javier (January 6, 2016). "Emilio Huerta, son of labor icon, jumps into Central Valley congressional race". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  24. ↑ "U.S. House of Representatives District 21 - Districtwide Results". California Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 18, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  25. ↑ "United States Representatives Final Results" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  26. ↑ "2016 General Election Results" (PDF). California Secretary of State. November 9, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  27. ↑ Rasna Suri (May 31, 2017). "Emilio Huerta launches 2018 bid for California's 21st Congressional District". TurnTo23.com. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  28. ↑ http://www.bakersfield.com/news/huerta-says-he-didn-t-have-the-money-to-challenge/article_3bea28ce-20ce-11e8-96d6-d3e07c8d9469.html
  29. ↑ Rory Appleton (March 2, 2018). "Emilio Huerta won't challenge David Valadao". Fresno Bee. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  30. ↑ Rory Appleton (March 6, 2018). "David Valadao has a new challenger in 2018 congressional race". Fresno Bee. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  31. ↑ John Holland (July 6, 2017). "T.J. Cox announces bid for Denham seat in House". Modesto Bee. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues". cqrcengage.com. Armenian Assembly of America. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  33. ↑ "Members". Republican Mains Street Partnership. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  34. ↑ "Members". Congressional Western Caucus. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  35. ↑ The Lugar Center - McCourt School Bipartisan Index (PDF), The Lugar Center, March 7, 2016, retrieved April 30, 2017
  36. ↑ "David Valadao (R-Calif.)". ProPublica. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  37. ↑ "David Valadao's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)". Vote Smart. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  38. ↑ Razi Syed. "Rep. David Valadao has change of heart on Donald Trump". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
  39. ↑ "These are all the Republicans who don't want you to see Donald Trump's tax returns". indy100. 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  40. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Buhl, Larry; Trump May Blow Re-Election Headwind At GOP Rep. David Valadao; International Business Time; April 25, 2018; https://www.ibtimes.com/trump-may-blow-re-election-headwind-gop-rep-david-valadao-2675245
  41. ↑ Tracking Congress in the Age of Trump, accessed September 25, 2018
  42. ↑ "california-dems-in-tight-races-balk-at-obama-climate-talk".
  43. ↑ Valentine, Katie (2015-06-26). "Republicans Introduce Bill Based On The Idea That Environmentalists Caused California's Drought". ThinkProgress. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
  44. ↑ Michael Doyle & John Ellis (September 29, 2013). "Congressional hopeful Amanda Renteria wants to give Valley 'a strong voice'". McClatchy Washington Bureau.
  45. ↑ Anna R. Vetter (March 16, 2016). "Rep. Valadao Cosponsors Government Shutdown Fairness Act" (Press release). Office of U.S. Representative David G. Valadao.
  46. ↑ "How the House voted to pass the GOP health-care bill". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  47. ↑ "Health care vote puts pressure on dozens of vulnerable GOP reps". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  48. ↑ "Valley Republicans praised, scorned over vote to repeal Obamacare". fresnobee. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  49. 1 2 Hess, Jeffrey. "'High-Risk Pools' Have Been Tried Before In California. Did They Work?". Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  50. ↑ "California GOP delegation helps pass Obamacare repeal". Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  51. ↑ Ibarra, Ana; Calif. GOP Congressmen Aim To Boost Medicaid Pay For Doctors After Votes To Slash Program; California Healthline; June 22, 2017; https://californiahealthline.org/news/calif-gop-congressmen-aim-to-boost-medicaid-pay-for-doctors-after-votes-to-slash-program/
  52. ↑ House leaders introduce bill to continue bringing physicians to underserved areas; Ripon Advance; July 27, 2017; https://riponadvance.com/stories/house-leaders-introduce-bill-continue-bringing-physicians-underserved-areas/
  53. ↑ Razi Syed (June 29, 2016). "Rep. David Valadao has change of heart on Donald Trump". Fresno Bee.
  54. ↑ Foley, Elise (August 1, 2014). "House Votes To Strip Deportation Relief From Dreamers". The Huffington Post.
  55. ↑ Rep. Valadao and colleagues send president letter, urging support for DACA; KMPH; August 25, 2017; https://kmph.com/news/local/rep-valadao-colleagues-send-president-letter-in-support-of-daca
  56. ↑ Appleton, Rory; Valadao switches from moral outcry to letter of the law with survey; Fresno Bee; June 20, 2018; https://www.fresnobee.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/political-notebook/article213543509.html
  57. ↑ "California Scorecard". NORML. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  58. ↑ Almukhtar, Sarah (19 December 2017). "How Each House Member Voted on the Tax Bill". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  59. ↑ "Tax-bill vote shows party-line division among Valley lawmakers". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  60. ↑ Rep. Valadao Urges Administration To Reverse Proposed Tariffs; Public Now; May 7, 2018; http://www.publicnow.com/view/E1C76B33599DC6BFB590A20489CDE45D4530F743
  61. ↑ Wentling, Nikki; House Approves Benefits for Blue Water Navy Veterans; Military.com; June 26, 2018; https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/06/26/house-approves-benefits-blue-water-navy-veterans.html
  62. ↑ Anna R. Vetter (March 16, 2016). "U.S. Chamber of Commerce Recognizes Valadao with Spirit of Enterprise Award" (Press release). Congressman David G. Valadao.
  63. ↑ "Majority of Congress members now millionaires". CNN Money. January 9, 2014.
  64. ↑ "About David". Valadao for Congress. Archived from the original on March 31, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Devin Nunes		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 21st congressional district
January 3, 2013 – present		 Incumbent
Current U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Mark Takano		 Seniority in the U.S. House of Representatives
295th		 Succeeded by
Juan Vargas
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