JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
David Valadao will be returning to Congress for a sixth term, after winning a competitive race in the Central Valley of California. He's a Republican in a rural Latino majority district, where registered Democrats outnumber those from his own party. KVPR's Joshua Yeager went to find out what voters in Valadao's hometown want from a Republican-led government in Washington.
JOSHUA YEAGER, BYLINE: It's a crisp morning in downtown Hanford, California. City crews are putting up a Christmas tree and ice skating rink in the town plaza.
CALVIN ROSS: Well, I shine shoes.
YEAGER: And Calvin Ross is working away at his shoe-shining booth.
ROSS: It's been here ever since I was a kid, 8 years old.
YEAGER: Now in his 70s, Ross says business isn't what it used to be.
ROSS: It's really, really slow these days. It's very, very slow.
YEAGER: Turned off by President-elect Donald Trump's wealth and immigration policies, Ross says this year he voted for Vice President Kamala Harris. But he's still hopeful Trump 2.0 can turn the economy around, and that would bring in more customers.
ROSS: With Trump being back in office, maybe things will get better because people are going to start spending money on things, I believe. I really do believe that.
YEAGER: Like many here in California's Central Valley, Ross' votes don't track neatly along party lines. On this year's ballot he also supported the Republican incumbent, David Valadao, for Congress. Valadao was one of just 10 Republicans to vote to impeach Trump in 2021 for inciting an insurrection. And that impressed Ross.
ROSS: Valadao was just downright and real about the whole situation, and I agreed with him all, 110%.
YEAGER: But some Hanford conservatives like Liz Wagner, who was heading to a nearby post office, disapproved of that vote.
LIZ WAGNER: Very, very disappointed.
YEAGER: But she still voted for the incumbent.
WAGNER: Valadao is at least pro-life, and he has conservative values.
YEAGER: But with Trump heading back to the White House, it's not clear if his impeachment vote could come back to haunt him. Valadao is one of just two from the original 10 still hanging on.
MICHAEL AULT: I have a cynical answer for you (laughter).
YEAGER: Michael Ault is a political science professor at CSU Bakersfield.
AULT: I do think that Trump sort of relishes making people bend the knee for him.
YEAGER: He says Trump, though, should be grateful. For more than a decade, Valadao has held down this region, which on paper seems like it should be a lock for the other side. Democrats spent millions trying to flip this seat, with seemingly little to show for it. Many voters say that's because Valadao hasn't swung to ideological extremes.
AULT: The economy matters, and I think that was a message that Valadao hit hard.
YEAGER: Maria Perez owns a nearby salon and agreed. She wants to see financial assistance for first-time homebuyers, from Trump and the Republican majority.
MARIA PEREZ: That would significantly help because I'm looking to buy a house, but it's tough. My parents just moved to Colorado.
YEAGER: But some of Trump's other proposals, like increasing tariffs, could have a negative impact on the economy, according to some analysts.
Back at the shoeshine booth, a customer from a nearby naval air base drops off a pair of boots.
(SOUNDBITE OF HEAT GUN WHIRRING)
YEAGER: Ross begins working polish into them. Then he picks up a heat gun from his tray of tools.
ROSS: The heat's going to melt this polish that I'm putting on the shoe down into the leather. Be very careful with the heat, though.
YEAGER: In many ways for this district, politics is a lot like shoe shining. Some heat is good, but if it's too extreme, you'll burn the leather.
For NPR News, I'm Joshua Yeager in Hanford.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHARLIE PUTH SONG, "LEFT AND RIGHT") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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