Democrat Announces Bid Against Valadao in California

By Emily Cahn

Posted April 6, 2015 at 11:02am

A California mayor will announce a challenge to Republican Rep. David Valadao Monday in California’s 21st District — a top Democratic pick-up opportunity in 2016.

“I am running for Congress to be a bold voice on behalf of Central Valley families and local neighborhoods throughout the 21st District,” Daniel Parra — the mayor pro tem of Fowler, Calif., an Air Force veteran who had been contemplating a bid — said in a news release provided first to CQ Roll Call.

Valadao, a top Democratic target this cycle, first came to Congress in 2012, defeating a weak Democratic candidate, even as President Barack Obama carried the district by an 11-point margin.

He won re-election in 2014 against former Capitol Hill aide Amanda Renteria — a top recruit who is poised to serve as former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s political director .

Democrats expect 2016 will see better turnout for them in this majority-Hispanic district, which they say imperils Valadao’s chances.

Sensing his vulnerability, the National Republican Congressional Committee put Valadao in the Patriot program that provides fundraising and organizational assistance to its most endangered incumbents.