BAKERSFIELD — An unlikely city in California is getting newfound attention from some of the country’s biggest progressive luminaries: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna.
In recent months, all of them have made stops in Bakersfield, a staunchly conservative bastion in the center of a big blue state.
At the Dignity Health Arena in downtown Bakersfield, Sanders filled every seat as he and Ocasio-Cortez roamed the country under their “Fight Oligarchy” tour. Dozens of protesters outside the arena screamed “Welcome to MAGA Country!” and waved flags supporting President Donald Trump.
But inside, Sanders said he had one – albeit big – job.
“Our job is to rally the American people and to defeat Trumpism,” he told the crowd of about 4,000. “From the bottom of my heart, I believe that we can create a government and an economy that works for all of us, not just Mr. [Elon] Musk and his billionaire friends.”
His message resonated with attendees like Ash Hickey.
“I’m here today because I think it’s important to defend the rights of everyone who’s being marginalized and whose rights are being challenged,” she said.
Hickey says she and other Democrats have felt largely abandoned in Kern County, a red county where oil production and agriculture reign supreme. Trump carried Kern County in the last election by a whopping 20 points.
“I’m pretty surprised, especially given that we are kind of a red territory, that so many people have shown up,” Hickey said. “But it’s really reassuring.”
Shifting political winds?
National GOP priorities like reducing government spending have put deep cuts to Medicaid on the table. That, in turn, has put some rural House Republicans in a vulnerable position. And Democrats who sense a political opportunity are choosing to take their fight behind enemy lines.
Among them is Ro Khanna, who stopped in rival Rep. David Valadao’s (R-Hanford) district weeks before Sanders’ visit. Khanna was working GOP districts during his “Benefits over Billionaires” tour.
In Bakersfield, he told those gathered about the stakes of cuts to Medicaid.
“Two-thirds – 67% – of folks in this district rely on Medicaid,” he said to the crowd, gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center.
But then he made his pitch: “We need three votes – three Republicans – to prevent these cuts [to Medicaid].”
For his part, Valadao has insisted he won’t support major cuts to Medicaid. He recently signed a letter along with 11 other Republicans that urges House leadership to preserve Medicaid’s budget.
“For many of my constituents in CA-22, Medicaid means they have healthcare. Balancing a federal budget can't come at their expense,” Valadao said in a social media post.
But some constituents remain skeptical, and Khanna pointed out that Valadao has yet to hold an in-person town hall since his reelection.
“In America, leaders don’t hide from people,” he said. “Representative Valadao, show up here next weekend.”
Valadao hasn’t agreed to an interview with KVPR, despite repeated requests. In a statement, Valadao dismissed these rallies as “political stunts” and noted that his office is always open to constituent concerns.
Democrats get a boost in energy. Will it last?
Democrats like India Buenrostro say they’re taking notice of the attention progressive leaders have recently slathered onto Republican Kern County.
“It’s brought back a lot of energy that I had lost after the 2024 election,” Buenrostro said at the Sanders rally. She traveled there from Fresno County, where she is president of the Young Democrats.
The organization is growing under Trump 2.0, she says, and visits from top Democrats have galvanized them to confront the administration.
“It reminded me that there’s still hope, and there’s still a fight that we need to conquer,” she said.
In an interview with KVPR, Sanders said there’s no time to waste as fast-moving policy changes come out of Washington, D.C.
“I think we have enough votes here to eventually win a congressional race and certainly to tell the current congressman, Mr. Valadao, that it would be totally unacceptable for him to vote for massive tax breaks for billionaires while making cuts to medicaid,” he said.
But that could be wishful thinking. Democrats have tried – unsuccessfully – over and over to unseat Republicans in this part of California. Politically, the cards are stacked against the left.
Valadao has won five out of the past six congressional elections – largely with the support of voters who are upset with progressive policies which they feel have hurt them economically. Some of those include cutbacks on oil drilling and lack of water for farm irrigation.
And then there’s the loyal MAGA crowd determined to keep Kern County red.
“I don’t even know why they would want to come to Kern County. We’re a very red dot in the blue state,” Lori Eskew said outside Sanders’ rally. She waved a Trump flag.
But if Trump’s first 100 days in office are a sign of anything, it’s that politics is unpredictable. And Democrats in this conservative hotspot say they’re feeling more optimistic –his time around.
But whether they have enough energy to change the political map in their favor is far from certain.
