Trump wants revenge against Republicans who backed impeachment. Is this Californian in trouble?
Former President Donald Trump is out to settle scores with the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him. And that could mean trouble for Rep. David Valadao.
Valadao, who represents a San Joaquin Valley district that President Joe Biden won easily last year, was one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after a mob of Trump’s supporters overran the U.S. Capitol in January.
“There’s still a lot of anger about what (Valadao) did,” said Fred Vanderhoof, Fresno County Republican chairman.
Especially in Trumpworld.
Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said the Republicans who backed impeachment are “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Nothing they do at this point will bring them back to Congress.”
Trump’s advisers have been meeting at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to discuss 2022 midterm election strategy, and people in Trumpworld say that the Valadao race is on their radar.
But Valadao might not be at the top of Trump’s target list for next year’s midterms, said an adviser who asked not to be named, noting that the state’s primary process and post-census congressional redistricting for 2022 are factors.
The top two vote getters from either party will move on to the general election, and they could both be Democrats if fractured Republicans split their vote too much.
Trump, who is still barred from major social media platforms, has not targeted Valadao — yet — but his ardent supporters are plotting to make things uncomfortable for the congressman.
Chris Mathys, a former Fresno Republican city councilman challenging Valadao, is eager to talk about the former president. He attended the “Save America Summit” at the Trump National Doral resort in Florida last month.
“I support Mr. Trump’s efforts to make sure elections are not stolen and to stop the flow of illegal immigrants coming across our borders,” he said, and he “hopes to have support over the next couple of months.”
Trump looks ahead
Trump’s support will depend on the challenger’s fundraising, message and ability to stay in the news, said two people familiar with the process who asked not to be identified. How much money the current seatholders raise, and how quickly, will also play a role in when and where Trump makes endorsements in the midterm elections, they said.
He is taking his time with the races that will not be on the ballot until November of next year. He has mainly endorsed incumbent lawmakers who voted against impeaching him.
The 10 Republicans who backed impeachment in January — compared with the 197 Republicans voted against it — tend to be in swing districts such as Valadao’s.
His district includes Kings County and parts of Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties. Its population is 63% Latino, one of the largest Hispanic populations of any district in the country.
Valadao’s political action committee this year gave $1,000 each to eight of the pro-impeachment Republicans, and many in turn gave to him.
Rep. Liz Cheney’s Cowboy PAC, for instance, gave $5,000 to each of the other nine Republicans. Cheney, R-Wyoming, who has been relentlessly criticizing Trump, is expected to be ousted on Wednesday from her party leadership position. Valadao will not comment on Cheney.
The donations are stirring pro-Trump Republicans. “There’s going to be more funding from the people from organizations, groups that are concerned about the pro-impeachment vote,” said Vanderhoot.
Hope for Valadao
Other Republicans said Valadao is doing what he needs to do to be reelected in a congressional district that he won by beating an incumbent Democrat.
Appealing to independents and Democrats as well as Republicans is a solid strategy, said Sacramento-based Republican consultant Matt Rexroad.
“David Valadao is the only hope to continue to hold that seat,” he said. The Cheney controversy is “largely an insider’s game,” he explained.
Midterm elections are typically tough for the political party that holds the White House. They are often a referendum on the sitting president’s policies, in this case Democrat Biden, which means a Republican with strong support could have an edge in the election.
The Republican Accountability Project, a group that is financially backing Republicans who voted for impeachment, said it would help Valadao. It plans to form a political action committee that will also direct resources to pro-impeachment Republicans, the group’s executive director Sarah Longwell said.
She said that how much the group spends on each race will depend on how competitive their primaries are and the effect that redistricting has on each seat, including Valadao’s.
“Our plan is to go toe-to- toe with them on spending to protect these candidates that they’ve got their knives out for,” she said of Trump’s operation.
This story was originally published May 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Trump wants revenge against Republicans who backed impeachment. Is this Californian in trouble?."
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