BAKERSFIELD —

On a recent Friday, state Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) mingled with supporters inside the Kern County Fire Department, posing for photos, chatting about politics and electing her to replace the area's Republican lawmaker. We collected $36 per person from people who wanted to help.

That same night, 30 miles north on State Route 99, Rudy Salas, a former Democratic state representative and current professor at California State University, Bakersfield, was collecting food and clothing at Forty Acres. Hats and work boots were distributed as part of the campaign. The Farm Workers' historic former headquarters in Delano. He was there to remind them that he was running for Congress again.

Both seem solid choices for the Central Valley's 22nd Congressional District, where Democrats far outnumber Republicans in voter registration. But the Republican incumbent, Rep. David Valadao of Hanford, has proven formidable.

The race between the two leading Democrats to take Valadao's seat is so intense that neither may survive the March 5 primary, which will determine who controls the House. It is certain that the Republicans will secure the extremely important seats.

Mr. Salas, 46, is the clear choice among Democratic leaders in Washington who have spent more than $500,000 supporting his campaign. He has been endorsed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Alex Padilla, the California Democratic Party and the United Farm Workers after challenging Valadao in 2022. He lost by a margin of about 3,100 votes.

Hurtado, whose state Senate district overlaps with much of the state House district, began her campaign after being contacted by Emily's List, a group that seeks to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights.

Some Democrats fear that Mr. Salas and Mr. Hurtado could split the Democratic vote in the March 5 primary, allowing Mr. Valadao and far-right Republican Chris Mattis to move toward the top. . In California's top-two primary system, the two candidates who receive the most votes, regardless of party, advance to his November election.

Democrats and Republicans believe the incumbent is vulnerable after Valadao voted to impeach former President Trump, whom he described as the “driving force” for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and are spending money on his campaign. are inundated with.

“This is very important, so [top Democratic leaders have] “We're going to support Rudy against the incumbent in the Senate,” said Mark Martinez, chair of political science at California State University, Bakersfield.

The 22nd Congressional District covers vast agricultural land across Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties and includes the cities of Bakersfield, Delano, Shafter, and Porterville.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has identified this district as a “red-to-blue” seat, or a seat it believes can be flipped, and the House Majority PAC, a super PAC aligned with Democratic leadership in Congress, , began running Spanish-language ads supporting Mr. Salas. .

Meanwhile, Hurtado faces an uphill battle in fundraising and his campaign is struggling. Mr. Salas' campaign has reported contacting at least 20,000 voters, but Mr. Hurtado said his campaign was not conducting local street outreach due to a lack of funding. As of mid-February, Salas raised more than $740,000 and Hurtado about $76,000. (Valadao raised just under $2.3 million)

Hurtado said in an interview that she hadn't considered running until Emily's List contacted her. She had weekly meetings with the organization to discuss her fundraising and campaign until December, when it became clear that her organization would not support her.

“I have no problem working this out on my own. When I first ran for state senate in 2018, I did this on my own,” Hurtado said. “I know my district better now than I did in 2018.”

Hurtado was first elected to the state Senate that same year, defeating Republican incumbent Andy Vidak at age 30 to become the youngest woman ever elected to the state Senate.

The state senator grew up in the Central Valley and was elected to the Sanger City Council after experiencing two recessions and realizing how poverty affected Valley residents, including his own family. That's what it means.

She believes she can unseat Valadao by building a coalition of independent, Republican and Democratic voters.

“There's a lot at stake,” she told more than a dozen supporters at a fundraising event in Bakersfield Friday night. “In my humble opinion, I think our democracy is really at stake here. And I think people feel that and understand that. And I think that each of us has a voice. It is necessary to raise the bar, listen to each other's opinions, try to understand each other and truly overcome differences.”

Salas, who teaches American government and politics classes at California State University, Bakersfield, said his campaign had begun campaigning ahead of the 2022 election, which he narrowly lost to Valadao in November. Told.

He crisscrossed the district, visiting small farming communities like Avenal and knocking on doors in Bakersfield, reminding Corcoran residents of his past accomplishments during his five terms in the state Legislature.

“We go out into every neighborhood knocking and talking to voters and telling them how important it is for them to go to the polls to make sure their voices are heard,” Salas said. . “A lot of the doors I walk into, people know who I am because of what we've done in the community.”

As a state representative, Salas became an advocate for farm workers, as his family had worked in the fields, and advocated for school district funding and access to clean water.

Mr. Salas and Mr. Hurtado overlapped in the state legislature and were political allies. When Hurtado's 2022 state Senate race was recounted, Salas helped fix the ballots to ensure they were counted.Hurtado He won by a margin of 13 votes.

The two sides share similar views on issues such as health care and immigration, but differ on reproductive rights and agricultural worker rights.

The UFW's decision to support Salas was an easy one, said union spokesman Antonio de Loera-Wurst.

“We have a long-term relationship with Rudy Salas and he is the real deal,” De Loera-Wurst said. “The fact that his opponent is Melissa Hurtado makes the match even easier. …For all the important issues the UFW has faced, there is a clear contrast.”

He pointed to Mr. Salas' record. Mr. Salas voted to increase overtime pay for farm workers and ban pesticides that are harmful to children. He participated in the farm workers' march. And he supported legislation that would make it easier for farmworkers to form unions by mail. Hurtado voted against the union bill in its early stages in 2018, but he did not record a vote when the bill was passed in 2022.

Hurtado said the farmworkers she spoke to had lost time and jobs because of overtime pay laws. She says the pesticide bill cites outdated research. And unionization laws that the UFW has already used to successfully unionize farms haven't gained support in her district, she said.

“The farmworkers I happen to meet and talk to privately did not support this policy,” she says. She noted that he has also advocated for farm workers in other areas, such as expanding job training for workers.

Ms. Salas' campaign also sought to differentiate herself from Ms. Hurtado with ads criticizing her for not voting for the abortion access bill. She did not vote for any co-pay elimination measures or legislation to make abortion care more accessible. This is to ensure that no one is prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy or experiencing a miscarriage.

Hurtado defended herself as a “reproductive health care advocate,” citing her support for Proposition 1 in 2022, which enshrined the right to abortion in the state constitution.

Hurtado in 2022 as “hostile to reproductive freedom.” “The path to restoring the federal right to abortion and expanding access to care runs through the House of Representatives and this critical district of California.”

Low turnout can make elections unpredictable. As of Wednesday, Approximately 19,200 ballots were submitted; And turnout was higher for Republicans than for Democrats. Although Republicans make up 27% of registered voters, they accounted for 42% of returned ballots. Democrats accounted for 42% of registered voters and 44% of returned ballots.

Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data, said historically low voter turnout in the Central Valley could make the race volatile, but a Republican-only runoff is possible. However, he said the possibility of that happening is still low.

“In that environment, there are a lot of people who are going to wet their teeth about what would happen if the two Republicans made it to the runoff,” he said. To avoid that outcome, Democrats are pouring money into campaigns to ensure party-approved candidates survive the primaries, he said.

One of Hurtado's strengths, her supporters say, is that she has the advantage of serving her community as a sitting elected official. They point to her efforts to secure funding for small town police and fire departments and her advocacy for residents' water rights.

Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) said he saw Hurtado vote against the state Senate Democratic Caucus in the interest of her district, demonstrating her true dedication to her constituents. Indicated.

“How much more can you stand the test than Melissa Hurtado? She's ready for a partisan fight.”

Martinez, chair of political science at California State University, Bakersfield, said Hurtado owed his state Senate victory to Salas, who worked on the ground for Democrats during a tough election year. Ta.

“It doesn’t make sense because she has no presence or community in Kern County,” he said. “Melissa is young, green, and she doesn't really understand the big picture.”

Mr. Salas appears to be well known in Bakersfield. Signs expressing support for him line front yards and farmland along highways. He said while he has benefited from high levels of support, he has also received local support from the mayor and teachers association.

“These are people who live in our community,” he said. “People here are really putting in the effort and getting their family and friends to vote as well.”