Incumbent TJ Cox and David Valadao square up for a rematch in California's 21st Congressional District

• Rep. TJ Cox is running in a rematch against Republican David Valadao, who he previously defeated in 2018's midterm elections. 
• California's 21st Congressional District, located in California's San Joaquin Valley, consists of Kings County and pieces of Kern, Tulare, and Fresno counties.
• The Fresno Bee's editorial board recently endorsed Valado for the seat after Cox had some scandals over his business dealings and unpaid taxes. Each candidate has close to $2 million in cash on hand.
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Rep. TJ Cox and David Valadao are set for a rematch in California's 21st Congressional District as Valadao looks to reclaim the House seat he once held for three terms. In 2018, Cox defeated Valadao by only 862 votes, a margin of 0.8 percentage points, in a tightly contested race.

The candidates

Rep. TJ Cox is a California native campaigning on a platform of healthcare for all, immigration policy reform and supporting schools, particularly hammering Valadao on his vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Previously an engineer working on water conveyance systems and dams, Cox has introduced multiple bills to increase the quality of Central California's drinking water and river restoration infrastructure. 

Valadao, a former member of the California State Assembly and farmer, has been in politics for most of his life. The son of Portuguese immigrants, Valadao noted that he could not support then-candidate Donald Trump's campaign for the presidency in 2016. After President Trump was elected, Valadao voted in line with the president 97.9 percent of the time according to FiveThirtyEight. 

Cox has faced some scrutiny and controversy in his short tenure in Congress for listing, owing over $140,000 in unpaid federal taxes, owing tens of thousands of back wages to workers, failing to disclose some of his financial holdings, and, as the Fresno Bee reported, listed two separate primary residences in Maryland and California for tax purposes, which Cox explained as an "honest mistake." 

The Bee has endorsed Valadao over Cox in the race, writing: "While Cox has sponsored or cosponsored useful legislation in his first term, the financial revelations raise questions about Cox's credibility. Voters should retire Cox and bring back Valadao, who is once again seeking the seat."

 The district

Located in the south-central region of California, the state's 21st Congressional District is comprised of Kings County and portions of Tulare, Kern, and Fresno counties. A little over 70 percent of the district is Hispanic and has a median household income of $37,228, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

The money race

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the incumbent, Cox, has raised $2.9 million and has about $2 million of cash on hand. His opponent, Valadao, raised $2.4 million in the same period of time and has $1.8 million on hand. 

What some of the experts say

The race between Cox and Valadao is rated as a tossup by the The Cook Political Report, "tilts Democrat" by Inside Elections and "leans Democrat" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.