Republican Congressman Who Voted to Impeach Trump Wins Re-Election

Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), a Republican who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump, has won re-election.

Valadao, who was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, won over Democrat Rudy Salas in California’s 22nd Congressional District, 51.7 percent to 48.3 percent.

Valadao, along with Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), will be the only Republicans who voted to impeach Trump that will return to Congress.

With Valadao’s victory, the GOP will have at least 219 seats, just one more than the required 218 for a majority, in the House. With a few Republicans leading in races yet to be called, the GOP is set to get 222 seats in the 118th Congress, which begins Jan. 3.

In a statement explaining his impeachment vote, Valadao called out Trump’s rhetoric surrounding Jan. 6.

“President Trump was, without question, a driving force in the catastrophic events that took place on January 6 by encouraging masses of rioters to incite violence on elected officials, staff members, and our representative democracy as a whole,” he said on Jan. 13.

“Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi has thrown precedent and process out the window by turning what should be a thorough investigation into a rushed political stunt. I wish, more than anything, that we had more time to hold hearings to ensure due process. Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi did not afford us that option,” continued Valadao. “Based on the facts before me, I have to go with my gut and vote my conscience. I voted to impeach President Trump. His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent, and absolutely an impeachable offense. It’s time to put country over politics.”