2026 forecast · California 22nd

Randy Villegas is favored to win California's 22nd District.

Randy Villegas vs David Valadao. The model has Villegas ahead by 4.8 points, winning 81 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Lean DModel D +4.8Polls R +2.0Updated October 22, 2026
Randy Villegas
Democrat
52.4%
132,032 projected votes
David Valadao
Republican
47.6%
119,831 projected votes
81%Villegas
19%Valadao
Villegas favoredEach square is one simulated election night, Villegas wins about 81 of 100
RatingLean D81% chance for Villegas
Model marginD +4.8Polls R +2.0
80 percent rangeD +11.6 to R +2.32,000 simulations
Projected votes251,863Villegas 52.4%

The district map

Every district in the state, shaded by its rating

California districts

52 districts
Safe DLikely DLean DToss upLean RLikely RSafe R

Vote share

Each candidate's projected share and the range of 80 percent of simulations

Randy VillegasDemocrat · 81% to win
52.4%
David ValadaoRepublican · 19% to win
47.6%

Scale runs from 25 to 75 percent. The dot is the forecast, the band is the 80 percent range and the brighter tick marks 50 percent.

Projected district vote

251,863 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Randy Villegas D132,03252.4%
David Valadao R119,83147.6%
Total251,863100%

Each candidate's expected vote in the On Point simulation, at the forecast's projected turnout.

The trend

Each side's chance of winning over the forecast's recent updates

0%25%50%75%100%81% Villegas19% Valadao14 updates agoToday

Polling

Every poll in the average, and how the model reads it

The California governor polling average
25%30%35%40%45%50%55%60%65%JunJulAugSepOct54.7Becerra36.0Hilton
The line is the On Point average: a robust LOWESS fit through the polls, weighted by recency, sample, voter screen and pollster grade, refit three times so outliers count for lessDot size is each poll's weight todayHover or use the arrow keys to read any day
What moves the average today
Manhattan InstituteOct 1 · 1,000 LV · NR16%Becerra +19.0
PPICSep 10 · 1,103 LV · NR16%Becerra +22.0
Independent Voter ProjectOct 2 · 2,906 LV · NR15%Becerra +10.0
Emerson CollegeOct 19 · 1,000 LV · Gold14%Becerra +27.0
Independent Voter ProjectSep 28 · 2,906 LV · NR13%Becerra +10.0
UC Berkeley Citrin Center/TrueDot/PoliticoSep 14 · 1,983 LV · B11%Becerra +18.0
Every other poll together: 15%

This is the same On Point polling average as the full average page. The forecast reads the polls through its own Election Day projection, shown as the On Point average in the table below, and blends it with partisan lean and fundamentals.

Polls of the race

Full average
PollsterSampleAgeMargin
On Point averageWeighted averageR +2.0

Each margin is the poll as the pollster published it. The forecast counts every poll after its house effect and the undecided split, which is what the trail above shows; hover a margin for the counted value. Lean R and Lean D mark partisan leaning firms.

Model margin
Villegas +4.8
Chance of winning
Randy Villegas81%
David Valadao19%
Simulated vote
Randy Villegas52.4%
David Valadao47.6%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanD +2.0
FundamentalsD +4.7
With pollsD +3.5
Early vote turnoutD +1.3
With early voteD +4.8

Read from 0 ballots cast so far in California, against the party mix the forecast expected of them, with similar states and primary turnout. Early vote tracker

How we got here

From the state's partisan lean to the forecast, one stage at a time

D +10R +10Partisan leanthe state's baselineD +2.0Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesD +4.7With pollsaverage R +2.0D +3.5With early voteturnout so farD +4.8
Methodology
Every county is rebuilt by simulating voters going to the polls, 2,000 times, from On Point Polling survey data, past results, and the polling average. How the model works.