MoveOn is proud to endorse Randy Villegas for California’s 22nd Congressional District!

Leadership and Experience

With a deep-rooted dedication to California’s Central Valley, Dr. Randy Villegas has spent his career serving his community as an educator, activist, and local leader. Born and raised in Bakersfield, Randy’s personal experiences growing up in a working-class family that relied on public assistance programs shaped his lifelong commitment to economic justice and equity. He channeled that drive into higher education, earning his Ph.D. in Political Science and returning home to teach as a college professor, while also serving his community as a local public school board trustee and operating a family auto repair shop.

Randy’s path from the classroom to the community has been fueled by the core belief that government should work for everyday people rather than the powerful few. Witnessing the direct toll that bad policy, environmental pollution, and systemic neglect have taken on Central Valley neighborhoods, he stepped up to organize for real change. Now running for Congress as a Democrat, Randy is building a formidable grassroots movement—raising over $1 million entirely from individual donors while refusing a single cent of corporate PAC money—to unseat the corporate-backed incumbent and bring bold, compassionate representation to Washington.

How he’ll help your community:

• Lowering the Cost of Living: Randy believes corporations are squeezing working-class families on everyday essentials. He will fight to rein in corporate price gouging on groceries, utilities, rent, and mortgages so that keeping the lights on and food on the table is affordable for everyone.

• Universal Childcare and Family Leave: Recognizing the immense financial stress new parents face, Randy champions a federal program for universal, no-cost childcare and guaranteed paid parental leave, ensuring families can thrive without pouring their entire incomes into breaking even.

• Holding Corporate Polluters Accountable: Having grown up watching public officials turn a blind eye to disproportionately high rates of asthma and cancer in the Central Valley, Randy is determined to hold corporate polluters legally and financially responsible for damaging local public health.

• Protecting Social Security: Randy is committed to shielding seniors from the harsh impacts of inflation. He will advocate to strengthen and protect Social Security benefits so that older Americans can live out their golden years with security and dignity.

His position on key issues

• Healthcare for All: Randy is a strong supporter of Medicare for All and price caps on prescriptions and medical procedures, arguing that life-threatening illnesses do not care about political party affiliation.

• Ending Corporate Influence: Randy explicitly rejects corporate PACs and the influence of wealthy billionaire enablers. He is fighting to put the power back in the hands of regular people and advocates for congressional term limits to challenge the status quo.

• Universal Care Infrastructure: He strongly opposes cuts to vital federal safety nets like SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid, and will push for robust federal investment into the social fabric that supports working families.

• People-First Economics: Backed by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, civil rights icon Dolores Huerta, and major labor unions, Randy supports raising the minimum wage to $25 an hour to ensure that hard work translates into a thriving wage.

To learn more about Randy, visit his website: https://www.villegasforcongress.com/