SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Healthcare was at the center of a big political upset in California last week. In the Central Valley, a Republican congressman had survived for years by distancing himself from President Trump, but Medicaid made a big difference for him this cycle. Jackie Fortiér with KFF Health News reports.
JACKIE FORTIÉR, BYLINE: The Central Valley is known for agriculture, oil fields and sending Republican David Valadao to Congress.
DAVID MCCUAN: David Valadao has had more political lives than a cat.
FORTIÉR: That's David McCuan. He's a political science professor at Sonoma State University. He says Democrats have been trying to flip this inland district for years, and they kept betting on the same type of candidate.
MCCUAN: Democrats have typically had someone who's been much more moderate, kind of a blue dog Democrat, a chamber of commerce-type Democrat, and they actually haven't fared well.
FORTIÉR: Randy Villegas is different. The professor and school board member was endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders. The race was called days earlier than expected.
JEFFREY CUMMINS: I was definitely surprised at the margin of victory. I mean, that is pretty overwhelming.
FORTIÉR: Jeffrey Cummins is a political scientist at Fresno State. He says Villegas also had the advantage of a redrawn congressional map, putting more Democrats in the district.
CUMMINS: You just had a perfect storm against Valadao - the national political environment, the popularity of the president, high inflation and then his votes in Congress.
FORTIÉR: He's talking about Valadao's vote for the Republican big budget bill. Even though 6 out of every 10 people in the district are on Medicaid, Valadao voted for the law that cuts Medicaid spending by more than $900 billion over the next few years. At a debate in Bakersfield in October, Democrat Randy Villegas went on the attack.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
RANDY VILLEGAS: He publicly promised that he would not cut Medicaid, and when push came to shove, he was the deciding vote on this big BS bill that is going to rip away healthcare from Valley families to go give $1.1 trillion in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans in this country.
FORTIÉR: Medicaid was the deciding factor for Bakersfield resident Ulises Hernandez, who spoke before the election.
ULISES HERNANDEZ: I have Medicaid. I rely on it for wheelchair repair. And without it, I would be stuck at home without anyone to help me.
FORTIÉR: He voted for Villegas.
HERNANDEZ: I hope and pray that he does what he says he's going to do and help us.
FORTIÉR: The day after winning the election, Villegas told reporters he'd pursue Medicare for All, a pledge to bring universal healthcare to every American.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
VILLEGAS: I'll be a Day 1 co-sponsor of Medicare for All because people in my district will drive seven to eight hours across the border to get cheaper prescription drugs, cheaper healthcare, and that shouldn't be happening in the richest country in the history of the world.
FORTIÉR: Central Valley voters will be watching to see if Villegas can indeed help the new Democrat majority in Congress reverse deep Medicaid cuts and reward their pivot to the left. I'm Jackie Fortiér.
DETROW: That story comes to us from our partner KFF Health News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.