Eight-term Congressman Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, represents a Republican-friendly district that has returned him to office without a lot of fuss.
This time might be different.
The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has made himself into a nationally-known lightning rod defending President Donald Trump against allegations that the presidential campaign colluded with Russia in its attempts to influence the 2016 election.
Will all that Washington drama matter to local voters in the June 5 primary? And will the primary offer any clues about whether Nunes might be vulnerable in November?
Five challengers – three Democrats, a Libertarian and one claiming no party preference – have stepped forward to find out.
Each is hoping to take on Nunes in November, assuming Nunes succeeds in the primary. Under California's "top two" primary system, the top two vote-getters go on to the general election regardless of political party.
The numbers are in Nunes' favor.
Congressional District 22 includes Tulare, Visalia, Clovis and parts of north Fresno. Registration is 42 percent Republican, 32 percent Democratic and 20 percent decline to state.
The district is Trump-friendly: Trump lost California but carried the district with 52 percent of the vote. Nunes won with 68 percent of the vote – a comfortable margin, but down from 72 percent in 2014.
Nunes' high profile and the possibility of a well-financed opponent caused the district to be downgraded from "safely Republican" to "likely Republican" by Sabato's Cystal Ball, a prognosticator at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.
The drama in Washington will surely be important to some voters, said Fresno State political science professor Thomas Holyoke. The bigger question is whether the national trend of Republicans having to fight off challenges from energized Democrats will be mirrored locally.
"There's more energy in Democratic voters and Democratic-leaning voters, and less among Republicans," Holyoke said. "That's nationwide and statewide...Republican voters aren't going to be excited about running out to vote for Nunes."
Here's a look at the candidates:
Andrew Janz
Democrat Andrew Janz, 34, grew up in Visalia and lives in Fresno. He is a deputy district attorney at the Fresno County District Attorney's Office, and is on the ballot as a "violent crimes prosecutor."
Janz used his prosecutor label to twit Nunes on Twitter about what is being called Spygate, the allegation that the FBI had someone approach the Trump campaign to get information. Nunes has publicly complained that the FBI and the Department of Justice aren't turning over information to the House Intelligence Committee that could shed light on the question.
"We don’t know if there is one informant or more informants because there’s so much out there now," Nunes told FNC's Maria Baritromo.
Janz tweeted, "I know that Devin Nunes is new to all this investigation business but it seems to me that the House Intel Committee should know that informants aren’t 'spies.' We prosecutors use informants to put bad guys away all the time."
Janz also has been targeting Nunes in his public appearances.
"It's time for a change," Janz said at a public forum in Visalia. "He's done little or nothing for our Central Valley…The incumbent represents everything that is wrong with Washington."
What makes Janz possibly threatening to Nunes is he has raised a surprising amount of of money.
In February, as the national news focused on the so-called "Nunes memo" that Intelligence Committee Republicans said exonerated the president, Janz raised $600,000, apparently from people around the nation who want Nunes to lose. By the end of March, Janz had raised $1.39 million.
"Janz is probably the most formidable candidate Nunes has had to face, and he has money," Holyoke said. "But Nunes can raise money."
Janz has the support of the local Democratic establishment, which sees him as the most likely to succeed in forcing Nunes into a real contest in November.
Janz has hammered Nunes about his connection with his district.
Janz tweeted "Devin Nunes doesn’t have time to meet with his constituents but has time to attend @DanaRohrabacher’s “birthday bash” in Newport Beach!" Rohrabacher is a Republican member of Congress who is also the target of Democrats.
In another broadside, Janz said, "The incumbent has held no town hall, a real one, since 2010. That's shameful…I pledge to hold two a year."
Holyoke said he believes Janz's line might work: "Nunes has disappeared somewhat. Janz is making some headway with the argument that Nunes isn't spending enough time in the district."
But Nunes has dismissed the town hall complaint as just a Democratic talking point being "regurgitated" by The Fresno Bee.
"(F)or many many years I’ve held a lot of educational forums over the years – big forums, small forums. And we continue to do that. And we will continue to do it," he said in February in an interview with The Bee's Rory Appleton.
Janz has a major yard sign effort going on and made a TV advertisement.
The 30-second spot emphasizes his career "putting violent criminals and gang members behind bars." In Congress, "Janz will take on politicians who abuse their power, and special interests who get tax cuts that make them richer while we pay the price," the ad states.
Janz has sent mailers. "Democrat Andrew Janz will fight for affordable healthcare and deliver results for the Central Valley," one states.
Nunes has long had the support of most farmers, but Janz sees an opening and has been knocking President Trump's tariffs on solar panels, washing machines, steel and aluminum.
"We need to make sure these tariff's don't hurt us," Janz said. Other countries could retaliate with their own tariffs against Valley farm products, he said: "The Central Valley is the breadbasket of the world. This is a national security issue. "
If elected, he'd like to serve on the Agriculture committee and the Judiciary committee.
Nunes is an advociate of more irrigation water for farmers but Janz is trying to tarnish Nunes' halo on that issue, too.
"I have spoken with countless local farmers, and I have looked at the state of our aquifer levels and water storage systems," Janz states on his website. "I can tell you that Nunes hasn't delivered."
Janz said he favors a path to citizenship for Dreamers, those brought to the United States as children who lack documentation, and supports comprehensive immigration reform. But, "we need stepped-up border security," he said.
Janz said he favor repealing the new tax reform law because it does not help small business, "the backbone of our local economy."
Bobby Bliatout
Democrat Bobby Bliatout, 41, is the son of Hmong immigrants. He and his wife, who is Mien, have two sons. He describes himself as "family man, health care leader and entrepreneur."
Bliatout said 15 years ago he started a nonprofit health care organization, and is now the top executive of two organizations that employ 300 and have treated 100,000 patients.
"I've gained a big passion for helping the underserved," he said. "I believe everyone deserves health care from birth to death."
Because Nunes made health care into a "political football" in the Obamacare fight, Bliatout decided to run against him.
"Ninety-five percent of Congress has never worked in health care," he said. "I'd be able to run circles around everyone else on that."
His strategy for winning the primary is "to get people to vote who don't normally vote." His mailer states, "I'm not a politician or a political insider." Endorsements include Fresno County Supervisor Sal Quintero and Fresno City Councilman Oliver Baines.
He opposes Trump's tariffs. "Small businesses will die, we can't let that happen," he said.
He favors free college, and believes repayment of college loans should be based on the ability to pay.
He also favors a path to citizenship for Dreamers. "I have Dreamers on my team, they're awesome," he said.
Last year's tax reform law is "trickle down" economics that mostly benefits "the rich corporations," he said.
Town hall meetings are a good thing, he said. "I'm always going to be as accessible as possible," he said. "I have to get out, get in the nitty gritty."
As of March 31, his campaign had raised $169,000.
Ricardo 'Rico' Franco
Democrat Ricardo "Rico" Franco, 34, of Fresno, is a fourth-generation Mexican-American whose family has been in the Valley for 100 years.
"I'm the first to grow up and not work in the fields picking grapes," he said.
He has a degree in business from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a technology consultant who worked in sales and operations for a Silicon Valley company that refurbishes computers.
"As a businessman, I've had to make a lot of different decisions."
He said his background has prepared him to serve on the appropriations and budget committees.
Franco favors free college tuition. "Other countries have free education, so why can't we?"
He also favors Medicare for all healthy insurance. "I believe that health care is a human right."
Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum are bad because tshey will raise prices, Franco said: "Tariffs and worldwide uncertainty is what kills local businesses."
Congress must help the Dreamers, he said: "They do deserve a spot in our American society to share in that American dream."
Franco also favors government action to provide clean drinking water to Valley homes that don't have that. "We're going to have to tie our water issues here with the water issues in Flint, Michigan," he said. "We will never stop fighting."
By the end of March, he had raised $44,000.
Bill Merryman
Bill Merryman, 33, of Fresno, is running as a Libertarian. He is employed as a human resources analyst.
At 18, he joined the Navy and said he is a strong believer in the U.S. Constitution: "It's meant to protect our rights."
Too much power has been given to Washington, D.C., he said. "I want to bring the power back to local government."
He opposes Trump's tariffs because "tariffs are the exact opposite of free markets." Cars will become more expensive, he said.
If elected, he'd like to serve on the budget committee.
"I've witnessed waste in the military," he said. He also warned against foreign wars: "We are not the policeman of the world."
The college affordability crisis is partly caused by the belief that "you have to go to college – it's simply not true," he said. "It's a government and societal-created problem."
He's sympathetic to Dreamers and immigrants in general. "The majority who come here are trying to better their lives for their children," he said. But, "we need to address the black market."
The tax reform law lowered taxes and that's a good thing, he said.
Brian T. Carroll
Brian T. Carroll, 68, of Visalia, is the "no party preference" candidate. His family has been in the area since 1872, he said.
He is a teacher, has lived in South America and is the first member of his family to speak Spanish.
His teaching career has prepared him for elected office, he said: "I've handled hostility all my life – I teach junior high."
He is seeking election to Congress because "I became fed-up with what I saw," he said. If elected, he'd like to serve on the budget and education committees.
Student loans are out of control, he said. "We've turned our students into profit centers. We need to reduct that," he said.
Demand for agricultural labor created the Dreamer problem, he said. "We need a steady supply of workers. We owe them a ticket into our society."
Tax reform is causing decreased federal revenues, he said: "They say we can't afford social secruity and medicare, so it's scary."
Devin Nunes
Incumbent Devin Nunes, 44, of Tulare, started his political career as a community college disrict trustee and was first elected to Congress in 2002. He grew up in a dairy industry family and graduated from College of the Sequoias and Cal Poly.
Nunes was a no-show at the Visalia candidate's forum.
Before Trump became president, he was best known as an uncompromising advocate for irrigation water for farmers. Lack of water for farmers during the recent drought was caused by governmental policy, he said, not lack of water.
As chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, he has aggressively supported the president against allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in its attempts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.
"We've seen no evidence of collusion," he told the Conservative Political Action Committee in February at its annual conference, which awarded him its Defender of Freedom award for his role defending the president.
"I'm honored to receive the Defender of Freedom Award and grateful to my constituents in the Central Valley for allowing me to continue to fight on their behalf," he wrote on his Facebook page, where he posted a video of himself accepting the award.
Last year, Nunes burst onto the national news defending Michael Flynn, who had resigned as National Security Adviser after it was leaked that Flynn had a telephone converstion with the Russian ambassador during the campaign. Nunes' defense left the impression that allegations of collusion between the campaign and Russia were being dismissed.
A few months later, Nunes made more headlines when he dramatically announced he'd seen intelligence reports that the Obama administration had been monitoring the Trump campaign.
In February of this year, the so-called "Nunes memo," claiming that the FBI and the Department of Justice were politically motivated in seeking warrants to wiretap a Trump campaign official, was released. It also caused a firestorm but made him well-known nationally.
In March, Nunes and the committee Republicans issued a report saying there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
The upshot is that conservative media and Trump partisan view Nunes as a hero, and it appears they are donating generously to his campaign. The Washington Examiner reported last week that Nunes raised $2.25 million in six weeks, and was on track to have at least $5 milllion at his disposal.
Nunes told a Bee reporter that he takes every re-election campaign seriously no matter who runs against him.
There's no question that Nunes has gotten under the skin of many Democrats outside the district. A number of anti-Nunes billboards have gone up around the district including three on Highway 99 that accuse him of being out of touch with his district. They're being funded by groups targeting select Republicans.
The Nunes campaign did not return calls from The Bee seeking comment for this story.