Newly elected Congressman Randy Villegas speaking at MAC-PAC.
Publish but give credit to MAC-PAC.
Introduction
Q: Who is Randy Villegas?
A: I am an educator and an auto repair shop owner, and with your support I will be your next member of Congress in California’s 22nd District.
Q: Why is he ready for Congress?
A: I love the Central Valley. Farm workers get up at the crack of dawn to feed the rest of the country, and sometimes struggle to feed themselves. Our oil and gas workers keep the lights on across the country. Even though we work hard every single day, so many of us are struggling to get by.
Background and Education
Q: Where does he come from?
A: I am the son of immigrants from Mexico: my dad is from Michoacán and my mom is from Guerrero. I grew up in Bakersfield in a working-class family, working every weekend at the swap meet and later in my family’s auto repair shop.
Q: What is his educational background?
A: I was the first in my family to go to college and university, and by the grace of God I got a full-ride scholarship to earn my PhD.
Q: Why did he come back to the Central Valley?
A: I came back to give back to the place that gave my family and me so many opportunities.
Service to the Community
Q: What work has he done locally?
A: For the last 6 years I have been a professor at College of the Sequoias. I also serve on the school board, where I have been able to deliver a record increase in wages for our teachers, bus drivers and custodians.
Public Programs
Q: Which programs does he say are under threat?
A: The programs I grew up on, which allowed me to get to where I am, such as Medicaid, SNAP and WIC, are being gutted by this administration to move more tax breaks to billionaires. We deserve better than that.
Campaign Funding
Q: What lesson from his mother guides his view of politics?
A: My mother taught me: “Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres,” which means, “Tell me who you’re with and I’ll tell you who you are.” The same can be said about politics: “Tell me who you’re taking money from and I’ll tell you who you’re taking orders from.”
Q: Does he accept corporate money?
A: No. I proudly say that I do not accept a dime of money from corporations or organizations like AIPAC, because I want to be accountable to our community and not to politics.
Q: Who funds his opponent?
A: My opponent is funded by the same corporations that are ripping us off, from Amazon to Chevron to UnitedHealth, a corporation being sued for using AI algorithms to deny elderly people’s claims so that it can profit while our family members suffer. To that, we say no more.
Standing With All Communities
Q: Where does he stand on supporting communities, including Muslim Americans?
A: I will always continue to stand proudly with all of our communities, including our Muslim brothers and sisters.
Q: Why was he attacked in the primary election?
A: I was attacked by millions of dollars from groups like AIPAC and Democratic Majority for Israel because, several years ago during the Biden administration, I signed onto a ceasefire letter that was considered controversial at the time.
Q: What is his response?
A: There is nothing controversial about saying our taxpayer dollars should not be funding a genocide. Point blank.
Closing Remarks
Q: How does he close his remarks?
A: I look forward to answering your questions, and I look forward to being with you in this fight. Thank you so much.