Fresno Republican Chris Mathys makes it official: He plans to run against Valadao
Jan. 18—Fresno-based businessman and rancher Chris Mathys has officially announced his intention to take on fellow Republican David Valadao in the June 7 primary election.
Mathys describes himself as a conservative Republican who is attempting to unseat Valadao, R-Hanford, from Congress due to Valadao's vote to impeach then-President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
"I thought President Trump did an excellent job. He was very effective. We had a strong economy, people were working, products were affordable. To me that's what we want in a president," Mathys said in a phone interview. "After four years of extremely successful administration, David Vaaldao, Republican in name only, votes to impeach a Republican president. It is betrayal not only to the people of the United States, but to the people that live in District 22."
Both Mathys and Valadao will seek to win an election in a newly-configured district that resembles the boundaries Valadao now represents. Democratic State Assemblyman Rudy Salas has also announced his intention to run for the office, which overlaps with the district he represents at the state level.
Mathys is the CEO of Oro Financial Inc., a private residential and commercial lender in Fresno, and he previously served on the Fresno City Council.
He positions himself as more conservative than Valadao. He says he is unvaccinated, and is running on a platform against vaccine and mask mandates in addition to greater independence for churches and the elimination of conservation protections for the Delta smelt to allow more water to be diverted to farmland.
He said he believes Trump would have won the election if the votes had been "properly counted," although numerous investigations by secretaries of state and independent groups have found no widespread fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
"I think there's a lack of integrity," he said, pointing to the use of mail-in ballots during the election. "The only thing I can say is people should vote at the polls. Absentee voting should be under an exceptional basis, where either people are out of town or they have health issues."
In California, all voters have been mailed ballots during the last two statewide elections.
Mathys served in the U.S. Army in Panama and graduated from Fresno State University. He has a master's of business administration from University of the Southwest.
You can reach Sam Morgen at 661-395-7415. You may also follow him on Twitter @smorgenTBC.
