BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET/KGPE) — The two candidates seeking election to California’s 22nd Congressional District will face off tonight. The debate will take place at the KGET news studio in Bakersfield.
The debate will air on Nexstar stations covering California’s Central Valley — KGET-TV in Bakersfield and KGPE-TV in Fresno. The debate will also be streamed on KGET.com and YourCentralValley.com.
This will be the first and only debate between the two candidates.
Incumbent Rep. David Valadao (R) will face former California Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D). Valadao has served as a member of the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. Valadao lost the seat in 2018 to TJ Cox, but won it back in 2020.
Salas is facing Valadao in a rematch of the 2022 midterm election where Salas lost by a little more than 3,000 votes.
Recent polling indicates the 2024 race is neck-and-neck within the margin of error of 5.2%. An Emerson College/Nexstar poll shows Salas with a slight lead. Likely voters support Salas 45.4% to Valadao’s 45%. Ten percent of those likely voters are still undecided, the poll showed.
The district’s voters break down as 42% registered Democrats, 27% registered Republicans and 23% are no party preference.
The debate will be moderated by KGET’s Alex Fisher and KGPE’s Brian Dorman. You can watch the debate on this page beginning at 7 p.m. in the video player at the top of this page.
Join the conversation before, during and after the debate using the hashtag #CA22Debate.
