SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Until the June primary for California’s 22nd Congressional District, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee seemed to place little faith in Randy Villegas’ ability to mobilize voters.

The DCCC is the U.S. House Democrats’ fundraising arm.

But by Wednesday morning, following Villegas’ victory over the DCCC-backed contender Jasmeet Bains, the committee was touting the progressive as a “working-class leader” and “top-tier candidate.”

“Randy is a people-first leader capable of energizing voters and winning this seat,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene in a statement Wednesday morning. “We are all in to elect him and flip this seat.”

The DCCC had previously thrown its weight behind Bains, a current Assemblymember and former physician with a moderate streak. Back in May, the group added her to its “Red to Blue” program, which funds candidates with the potential to flip conservative districts. A $135,000 ad spot paid for by the committee further cemented Bains as the establishment choice.

That didn’t sit well with progressive Democrats, including Villegas himself.

“Just like I teach my students, back in the day, you had a bunch of insiders meeting in back rooms cutting deals to choose their party’s nominee,” said Villegas, a political science professor, in a video posted to Facebook on May 4. “Right now national Democrats are trying to put their thumb on the scale in our race.”

On election night, however, the DCCC stamp of approval wasn’t enough to propel Bains across the finish line.

Villegas clinched the second-place finish for California’s 22nd Congressional District this week, according to The Associated Press. He had captured 32.2% of the vote, compared to 26.9% for Bains, as of Friday.

David Valadao, the 22nd District incumbent and only Republican in the race, has garnered 40.8% of the vote. He was projected to advance the general election on the night of the primary.

The outcome caps one of California’s most ferocious congressional primaries, a contest that reflected the broader struggle between the Democratic Party’s moderate and progressive wings.

Villegas built grassroots support in the heavily Latino, working-class district. He ran on policies such as Medicare for All and not accepting corporate money. Bains, backed by Democratic Party leaders and major labor organizations, ran as a more moderate Democrat with a healthcare background who occasionally broke with her party on Assembly votes. Both had raised similar amounts of money.

The DCCC’s support of Bains fanned the flames of an already-contentious race.

In the run-up to the primary, Bains and her political allies escalated attacks against Villegas with aggressive messaging that accused him of concealing decades-old sexual abuse claims and invoked comparisons to Jeffrey Epstein.

Villegas, in a statement released May 19, called the attacks “sickening” and an exploitation of “survivors’ trauma and suffering for political gain.” In an attack ad, he claimed Bains protected the interests of corporations, billionaires and Big Pharma.

Now that the post-primary dust has settled, national Democrats are making nice with Villegas.

The DCCC announced his addition to the slate of Red to Blue program candidates on Wednesday. In a statement Thursday, the committee told The Sacramento Bee that it was always certain a Democrat would take the seat, regardless of who advanced in the primary.

“As a son of the Central Valley who has spent his life fighting for working families, Randy can energize voters and build a winning coalition against David Valadao, whose votes to gut healthcare and long record of selling out the Valley have made him more vulnerable than ever,” said DCCC spokesperson Anna Elsasser.

A host of prominent Democrats in Congress, including Nancy Pelosi, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, also issued endorsements.

But a Villegas victory is still uncertain.

Valadao has largely withstood challengers in the Democratic-leaning Central Valley swing district since he entered Congress in 2012. He faces new challenges this year, however, including changes from Proposition 50’s redistricting, criticism from his key vote to cut Medicaid and declining approval ratings for President Donald Trump.

The National Republican Congressional Committee — the fundraising arm of House Republicans — quickly seized on Villegas’ victory by pointing to the DCCC’s support for Bains.

“Don’t just take it from us. Take it from national Democrats themselves: They have no shot in CA-22 with radical socialist Randy Villegas,” said NRCC spokesperson Christian Martinez this week. “They tried to sink him. They failed.”

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