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

Published October 15, 2026 11:00 am • Updated October 15, 2026 11:37 am •
‘The valley has been left behind’: how one of California’s poorest areas became its toughest political battleground
Photo via The Guardian US

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

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

Source: The Guardian US — Original report ↗

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Original source: The Guardian US ↗

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