The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee faces internal rebellion after spending $135,000 to boost a losing candidate in California’s 22nd Congressional District primary, with House Democrats now threatening to withhold dues to the party’s main campaign arm.
Progressive activist Randy Villegas declared victory on Tuesday in the Democratic primary over state Assembly member Jasmeet Bains, the DCCC-backed candidate. Villegas, a political science professor and Visalia Unified trustee, had the backing of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus, while Bains was supported by the centrist New Democrat Coalition and Congressional Asian-Pacific Islander Caucus.
The DCCC added Bains to its coveted “Red to Blue” program—designed to help Democrats flip Republican-held seats—a month before the primary and launched a joint $135,000 ad buy with her campaign in the final weeks of the race. The move sparked fury among House Democrats who felt the committee was overstepping its role.
“It frustrates me and it’s just deeply disappointing that the DCCC tried to tip the scales in a very competitive Democratic primary,” Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) told Axios. “Voters, not the DCCC, should pick Democratic nominees.”
Some lawmakers are now threatening to withhold their dues to the DCCC—money expected to help secure committee assignments and demonstrate party loyalty. “I’m supposed to give you $175,000 of very difficult-to-raise money,” one anonymous House Democrat told Axios, “and then the money we give to show we’re a good team player … you turn around and spend in primaries?”
David Hogg, whose organization Leaders We Deserve supported Villegas, told Axios that the DCCC’s move backfired. “You saw the Hispanic Caucus lose their mind when Jasmeet got put on ‘Red to Blue,’ you saw progressives get incredibly upset too,” he said. “People were pissed.”
A senior House Democrat told Axios the frustration runs deeper. “People think the DCCC doesn’t care about them other than their dues,” the lawmaker said. “They have no say where they go, they don’t help [safe-seat] incumbents.”
The DCCC defended its choice, arguing that Bains was selected based on analysis showing she had the strongest chance to win the general election. “This includes supporting top-tier candidates who are best positioned to flip their districts in November,” said DCCC executive director Julie Merz. “Strong nominees allow us to expand our battlefield, spread our resources to more races, and deliver Democrats the biggest majority possible.”
Grijalva said the DCCC’s involvement in the primary motivated her to actively support Villegas. She also expressed concern about dues being used against candidates she endorsed. “It makes me take a pause, definitely, when I’m considering paying my dues that they’re being used against candidates that I’m supporting,” she said. “That’s really frustrating for me.”
Frustrated lawmakers are holding “really serious, direct conversations” with DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) about the practice, according to a third House Democrat who spoke with Axios. The members are demanding the DCCC either stop spending in primaries or distribute support equally among Democratic ideological factions.
Villegas’s backers now want the DCCC to give him the same level of support Bains received. “I really, really hope the DCCC practices what they preach and they consolidate around him and work with him to give him the full financial backing he deserves, because he can win this race,” Hogg said.
The primary was for the right to face Republican Rep. David Valadao in the general election in CA-22, a seat Democrats view as critical to their path to the House majority.
Sources
- Axios — June 9, 2026 reporting on DCCC spending, House Democrat threats to withhold dues, quotes from Grijalva, Hogg, and anonymous lawmakers
- The San Joaquin Valley Sun — June 9, 2026 coverage of Villegas victory, DCCC backlash, and House Democrat demands for change
