David Valadao | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 21st district |
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Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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Preceded by | Devin Nunes |
Member of the California State Assembly from the 30th district |
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In office December 6, 2010 – November 30, 2012 |
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Preceded by | Danny Gilmore |
Succeeded by | Rudy Salas |
Personal details | |
Born |
David Goncalves Valadao April 14, 1977 Hanford, California |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Terra Valadao |
Residence | Hanford, California |
Alma mater | College of the Sequoias |
Profession | Dairy Farmer |
Website | Representative David Valadao |
David Goncalves Valadao /ˌvæləˈdeɪoʊ/ (born April 14, 1977) is an American politician who has been a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing California's 21st congressional district, since 2013. Prior to that, he served one term in the California State Assembly, representing the 30th district. He is a member of the Republican Party. In Congress, Valadao has gained a reputation as one of the Republican Party's leading advocates of comprehensive immigration reform.
Valadao was born and raised in Hanford, California. His parents are Portuguese immigrants. He graduated from Hanford High School in 1995, and attended the College of the Sequoias in Visalia. He currently serves as the managing partner of Valadao Dairy, which he owns with his brothers. He has also been a member of the California Milk Advisory Board, Western States Dairy Trade Association, and Regional Leadership Council Chairman for Land O' Lakes.
In August 2014, the United States Chamber of Commerce awarded Valadao its Spirit of Enterprise Award. Valadao won the same award again less than two years later, in a 2016. Valadao was the poorest member of Congress in 2014, with over $12 million in loans to his family's dairy farm.