On a recent Saturday morning, the skies were thankfully overcast and people from all over Kern County gathered in the parking lot.

The mood was upbeat, with many wearing shirts proclaiming support for Democratic Party candidate Rudy Salas. 22nd Congressional District, Across the vast, mostly rural landscape of the southern Central Valley, a whiteboard bears a message informing volunteers of the looming deadline: Election Day is Nov. 5.

“Are you guys excited? Are you ready? Are you fired up?” Salas asked the audience of about 40, who responded with applause and cheers. He directed his campaign staff to remind voters of his accomplishments during his 10 years in the California Assembly, which included securing $100 million for the California State University system and another $100 million for Bakersfield College.

“This election will be decided by a handful of votes,” he said. “At the end of the day, you are going to make the difference.”

In a way, Salas summed up how close congressional races in the Central Valley often are. In 2022, he lost to Republican incumbent Rep. David Valadao, in his district of 775,000 residents, by about 3,100 votes. In the same election, another Democrat in a district just north lost to a Republican by 564 votes.

While California's urban areas tend to be strongly Democratic and progressive, the story is different in the Central Valley. The 22nd Congressional District covers parts of Kern, Kings and Tulare counties, stretching from Hanford south to Bakersfield. The economy is primarily agricultural, and more than 70% of the residents are Latino.

On paper, the district Democratic leaning — 43% of voters are registered as Democrats, 26% as Republicans, and 23% as independents, but the region tends to ignore these classifications and regularly elects Republicans to Congress.

Moderate Democrats in the area have been nicknamed “Valleycrats,” a reference to their tendency to vote for who they believe will best serve their district, rather than aligning themselves with a particular party.

Democratic leaders are hoping that Salas, 47, will win their trust and bolster efforts to flip districts and reclaim majorities in the closely divided U.S. House of Representatives. Salas is the first Latino elected to the Bakersfield City Council and would be the first Latino to represent the Central Valley in Congress.

“California will be leading the charge in Congress, and the Central Valley is at the center of that effort,” Dan Gottlieb, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement. Salas has a large volunteer base, solid momentum and “a deeper understanding of the realities that Valley families face every day,” Gottlieb said.

But winning here would mean beating another Central Valley native, Mr. Valadao, who remains popular among moderates. Mr. Valadao's family started a dairy business in the Central Valley shortly after they emigrated from Portugal in 1969. He was born and raised in Hanford and continues in the family business. His family now operates two dairy farms in Kings County.

Republican Rep. David Valadao, a dairy farmer himself, says he's running for reelection to continue fighting for the Central Valley's water and resources.

(Irrfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

Valadao was first elected to Congress in 2012 and won his seat back in 2020 after being defeated in 2018. From his position on the House Appropriations Committee, he has fought to keep federal and state water flowing to Central Valley farms amid years of drought and regulatory cuts.

In an interview, Valadao, 47, said he knows the district better than Salas and is seeking reelection to continue to advocate for resource security in the Central Valley. In the Legislature, he has voted mostly along Republican party lines, recently securing $6 million in federal funding for a new drinking water well in the city of Delano and another $3.5 million to build a regional access road in Porterville.

“I think people know how hard I'm working in this district, and our numbers are improving,” Valadao said, “getting out and talking to my constituents, finding out what's going on, hearing directly from them, spending time in the district, looking at things and working on issues that are going to make their lives a little bit better.”

Dolores Coronado Maas, 79, is a Republican who lives in Hanford. Maas said she plans to vote for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president, but will vote for Valadao, who supports veterans and voted for the impeachment of then-President Trump in 2021. Valadao was one of only 10 Republicans to vote in favor of impeachment for Trump's role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. She has not endorsed Trump's campaign.

While the impeachment vote was controversial among conservative voters, Maas said he appreciated that Valadao stood up to Trump, who wants to return women to a time when reproductive rights were restricted. Maas said he believes Valadao, his “favorite Republican,” will stand up firmly to Trump.

“I can't disagree with anything. [Valadao]”He's got guts,” she said.

Salas, a lecturer at California State University, Bakersfield, who was born into a family of farmworkers in the Central Valley and grew up working in the fields, said he decided to run for Congress again because he believes residents in his district are excited about the prospect of a change in leadership.

“We feel it. We see it. We hear it in every community across the district,” he said. “What's really important is that we get people to take the time to turn their ballot in. We know the support is there.”

Among the canvassers who went door-to-door on Saturday mornings last month for Sarath were Khan's Democratic WomenOlvera said he supports Salas because of her work improving the status of farmworkers and Latinos in the area during her time as a state representative.

“Like Kamala [Harris] “The president needs the House to be successful, but Rudy needs local supporters to be successful,” said Olvera, who is running for Kern Community College District trustee. “I'm very motivated.”

Both candidates are taking aim at each other, accusing the other of taking votes that go against the interests of their constituents.

Salas He blamed Valadao. Biden emerged as the Republican nominee for the Democratic nomination after voting against the Stop Inflation Act, a wide-ranging climate, energy and health care bill that included a range of changes, including limiting the monthly cost of insulin to $35 for Medicare enrollees. Congress ultimately passed the bill, and President Biden signed it into law in 2022.

Salas also highlighted the differences between himself and Valadao on reproductive rights.

Salas supported Proposition 1, a statewide ballot measure passed in 2022 that enshrined the right to contraception and abortion in the California Constitution. In the Assembly, Valadao co-sponsored the failed Life at Conception Act, a bill that would have banned abortion nationwide with no exceptions.

“I think people understand how hard I've worked in this district, and my approval rating is improving,” Republican Rep. David Valadao said of his intention to seek reelection.

(Irrfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

Mr. Valadao has since softened his stance, saying in an interview that he had “spent more time on the issue” and now supports exceptions for rape, incest and when the mother's life is at risk.

But he also disputed the notion that reproductive rights is a pressing issue in his district, saying the last time the issue came up in a discussion with constituents was years ago, with a group of anti-abortion seventh-grade girls.

“California isn't planning on changing the rules anytime soon, so it's not an issue for most Californians,” Valadao said.

He said voters in the 22nd District are concerned about water rights, homelessness, crime and affordable housing, noting that he was instrumental in securing funding for new wells in Delano, a homeless shelter in Bakersfield and law enforcement, including $622,000 for the Wasco Police dispatch center.

Salas said his record on the Legislature shows he understands how issues like health care costs, access to education and immigration reform affect the daily lives of district residents.

As a Assembly member, Salas voted for a minimum wage increase and supported a landmark 2016 bill that would have provided farmworkers with overtime pay if they worked more than 40 hours a week. In 2017, she broke with congressional Democrats and voted against a gas tax increase, fearing the impact it would have on families. That decision earned her the No. 1 spot in the House of Representatives. His Leadership Role in key legislative committees.

His campaign volunteers have been going door-to-door on weekends to encourage people to vote.

From right, Flor Olvera, Roseann Whattonville and her husband, Tom, talk with Joe Cardenas while canvassing door-to-door for Democrat Rudy Salas in Wasco.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

While working in the Wasco area on a recent Saturday, Rozann and Tom Whattonville encountered Joe Cardenas, 60, an HVAC technician working on a truck in his driveway. Cardenas said he plans to vote for Salas but not Harris. Cardenas said Salas' background resonates with him because he grew up working in the fields.

“He’s doing very good things for Latinos. [he’s done] “It's a lot of work for us low-income people,” Cardenas said.

But many voters are still undecided. At Elite Faze barbershop in Hanford, owner Kenwyn Charles argued with customers about the election and what he said were improvements made during Trump's presidency.

“He's just saying crazy things,” Charles, 46, said as he served customers.

Charles said he had decided to vote for Harris because he wanted to see a woman lead the country, but was still considering the two congressional candidates. He said Valadao is the type of politician who makes 10 promises and only delivers on two, and he's not satisfied with his performance so far.

“I'll check it out when I get closer,” he promised. “Sometimes change is good.”