WASHINGTON – A month after Rep. David Valadao was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump, his political action committee gave $1,000 to each of eight of his fellow GOP members of Congress who voted his way, Federal Election Commission records show.
In turn, Valadao’s campaign has received a total of $24,000 from the House members who voted for impeachment and a senator who voted to find Trump guilty. He got another $4,500 from two congressmen who co-sponsored a bid to censure Trump.
Valadao, R-Calif., will be a “special guest” at a fundraiser in Washington state next month for Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of the Republicans who backed impeachment.
Derek Flint, Newhouse’s campaign spokesman, said the appearance has nothing to do with the impeachment vote. Valadao and Newhouse know each other well because they’re both on the House Appropriations Committee.
Flint explained that the fundraiser is an annual event and both congressmen are “part of the small group of representatives who actually operate working farms.”
Valadao was first elected to Congress in 2012, served three terms and lost to Democrat TJ Cox in 2018 during a Democratic “wave.” Valadao then narrowly defeated Cox in 2020, even though President Joe Biden won the district by 11 points.
Valadao is regarded as one of the nation’s most vulnerable Republicans. Cox is seeking to regain the seat. Former Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, a Democrat, is also running.
Among Republicans, businessman and former Fresno City Councilman Chris Mathys is challenging Valadao. He said the contributions were disturbing.
People in the district, Mathys said, “consider Mr. Valadao a traitor.” He said voters remain upset with Trump’s impeachment. “They have definitely not moved on,” Mathys said.
California Republican consultant Matt Rexroad did not see Valadao’s alliance with fellow impeachment supporters as a problem, particularly since the congressman often gets support from voters other than Republicans.
“He holds an incredibly difficult seat. He is our best chance and probably only chance to hold that seat,” Rexroad said.
Valadao’s campaign would not discuss the contributions.
Shortly after taking office in January, Valadao voted to impeach Trump, explaining that the president was “without question, a driving force in the catastrophic events that took place on Jan. 6 by encouraging masses of rioters to incite violence” as they stormed the Capitol.
“His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent, and absolutely an impeachable offense. It’s time to put country over politics,” Valadao said.
A month later, Valadao’s Vitoria PAC gave $1,000 each to campaigns or political committees that in recent years have been associated with eight of the nine Republicans other than him who voted to impeach: Fred Upton and Peter Meijer of Michigan, Tom Rice of South Carolina, John Katko of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio and Newhouse.
The only House GOP impeachment supporter who did not get a contribution was Liz Cheney of Wyoming. She’s currently the third-ranking House Republican, but there’s a strong push among other House leaders—and Trump— to oust her. Valadao will not comment on that effort.
Cheney’s Cowboy PAC gave Valadao $5,000 on March 30.
Valadao’s PAC made contributions to four other Republicans during the first three months of 2021. It gave $2,500 to Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and $2,000 to Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska.
Both voted against impeachment but were among nine House Republicans co-sponsoring an unsuccessful measure to censure Trump for “trying to unlawfully overturn the 2020 presidential election and violating his oath of office on January 6, 2021.
Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Calif., a freshman who voted against impeachment, got $1,500. She explained in a statement “The wounds caused by the act of terror we saw last week will not be healed by impeaching President Trump.”
Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., running in a special election in March, received $1,000.
Valadao received contributions from several other impeachment supporters. Political committees with ties to Kinzinger gave him $5,000 for the primary and another $5,000 for the general election.
Other donations came from PACs or campaigns that have been associated with Newhouse, $1,000; Upton, $2,000; Rice, $3,500 and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to find Trump guilty, $2,500.
