Congressional candidate Emilio Huerta meets with local Democrats in Hanford

He was in Hanford on for a “Meet and Greet” on Thursday, Dec. 14, with about 25 Democrats affiliated with the Kings County Democratic Jimmy Carter Club where he talked about his campaign.

Huerta survived a primary against Fowler Councilmember Daniel Parra and faced off with Valadao in the 2016 General Election, losing by about 13 percentage points.

So far Huerta is the only announced Democratic candidate to face Valadao.

As the son of one of the UFW’s founders, he has worked for the union throughout the Central Valley district. He is a lifelong resident of the San Joaquin Valley. He grew up in Kern County, attended local schools including California State University Bakersfield, and graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law.

Democrats have high hopes. The district continued to trend Democratic and gave Hillary Clinton 54.72 percent of the vote in 2016. The majority-Latino district includes parts of Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties.

The Jimmy Carter Club is an activist organization that split off from the Kings County Democratic Central Committee in 2016 and has been involved in several high-profile demonstrations, including picketing Valadao’s Hanford office and conducting a town hall featuring the local Congressman, who declined to attend.