Randy Villegas, Candidate for California's 22nd Congressional District

Randy is a son of the Central Valley, who grew up in a working-class immigrant family. Randy’s parents came to the United States from Mexico in search of a better future for their family. Randy was raised in Bakersfield, California where  he attended public schools and grew up working at the swap meet and his parent’s auto shop to help the family make ends meet. Randy grew up relying on programs like WIC, and Medicaid, at times wondering where his next meal would come from. 

Education allowed Randy to achieve the American dream, becoming the first in his family to receive a college education. After graduating from Bakersfield College and California State University in Bakersfield, Randy earned a full-ride fellowship to UC Santa Cruz, to earn his master’s and Ph.D. At the age of 25, Randy became a full-time tenure track professor at the College of the Sequoias. In 2020, Randy married his high school sweetheart, Carina Villegas, and they have adopted three rescue dogs. Carina is currently working on her Ph.D. in Chemical Biology, Biochemistry and Biophysics.

Randy knew his dedication to public service went beyond teaching, so he decided to pursue a vacant seat on his local School Board of Trustees. Upon joining the school board, Randy became the only elected and then re-elected Latino and Democrat. On the school board, Randy has worked across the aisle to ensure that students received the best possible learning facilities and increased educational support services, as well as increasing salaries for both teachers and classified staff.

In the Spring of 2025, Randy decided to run for California's 22nd Congressional District in response to the budget cuts that Congressman David Valadao, voted to advance. The Trump administration’s budget cuts will gut the crucial federal programs like Medicaid that, like Randy’s family, two-thirds of residents in this district rely on for their healthcare. Randy is running to set a new standard for representation in California’s 22nd Congressional District.