‘The valley has been left behind’: how one of California’s poorest areas became its toughest political battleground

Rising costs and threatened healthcare benefits are testing voters’ loyalty to Trump as Democrat Randy Villegas challenges David Valadao Vanessa Martinez used to work two jobs to make ends meet. Now she works three. In another era, the 26-year-old from California’s hardscrabble Central valley could have been a poster child for the American Dream, the sort of ambitious, up-by-her-bootstraps personality that politicians of both major parties like to highlight. Continue reading...

Andrew Gumbel in Tulare · Thu, Oct 15, 2026, 8:00 AM
California | The Guardian

‘The valley has been left behind’: how one of California’s poorest areas became its toughest political battleground

Rising costs and threatened healthcare benefits are testing voters’ loyalty to Trump as Democrat Randy Villegas challenges David Valadao

Vanessa Martinez used to work two jobs to make ends meet. Now she works three.

In another era, the 26-year-old from California’s hardscrabble Central valley could have been a poster child for the American Dream, the sort of ambitious, up-by-her-bootstraps personality that politicians of both major parties like to highlight.

This page shows an excerpt; reporting belongs to the original publisher. Some images or embeds may be omitted compared with the live article.