BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- Less than five weeks from Election Day, the world of politics is getting even more contentious, especially the race for California's 22nd Congressional District. You've probably heard of this race through political ads -- the names Rudy Salas and David Valadao are all over Central Valley airwaves. Ahead of Republican incumbent David Valadao and Democrat Rudy Salas' November face off, 17 News breaks down the results of a new Emerson College/Nexstar poll on the race. The poll proves what we've long been reporting -- CD-22 will be a difficult-to-predict toss-up. California 22nd Congressional District Debate: How to watch "I wouldn't have anticipated it to be this close … it's a razor thin margin with a lot of undecideds out there," said Frontier High School history teacher James Maddox. The battle for CA-22 -- and its expensive, competitive nature -- is all too familiar for Central Valley voters. California's 22nd Congressional District helped determine the U.S. House majority in 2022 and will do so again in 2024. The poll of 350 "very likely" CA-22 voters shows the race will be tight -- 45% would vote for Republican incumbent David Valadao while 45.4% would vote for Democratic challenger Rudy Salas. Ten percent are undecided, all within the margin of error of 5.2%. "I was surprised by how many undecided voters [in a race and district like this]," Maddox said. CA-22 encompasses most of Kings County and parts of Tulare and Kern counties. About 42% of registered voters are Democrats, 27% are Republican and 23% are no party preference. Despite the district leaning Democratic and Latino, a Republican has repeatedly held office, and Valadao is behind Democrat Salas by only 0.4 percentage points. More than half of these respondents say they voted for Joe Biden in 2020. "Those problems with [Democratic] turnout are the only reasons it's really competitive at all," Maddox added. As history shows, low turnout has been the Achilles heel for Democrats in CA-22. On the other hand for Republicans, Maddox stated, "Anytime that Trump's on the ballot, you get a pretty big turnout." Worth noting is that Valadao has won every time Donald Trump was simultaneously on the ballot. Our poll further reveals that male voters lean toward Valadao 58% to 31%, while women lean toward Salas 60% to 31%. That, Maddox explained, is most likely due to Salas' strong campaigning on reproductive rights. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW Maddox also noted that nationwide, he's seen young men lean much more conservative, while young women head the other direction. But in CA-22 specifically, race and gender are likely not make or break factors, Maddox said. White voters break for Valadao, 53% to 33%, while Hispanic voters are for Salas, 52% to 41%. As for issues, top of mind for CA-22 voters are the economy, homelessness and immigration, taxes, abortion access and crime -- in that order. Maddox said immigration not being number one shows, "This is not the rest of America ... All politics is local." Those most concerned about immigration favor Valadao over Salas, 85% to 15%. "The Republican party, that is their issue," Maddox noted. It's the same for the economy -- and 62% of respondents said they've considered leaving California due to the cost of living. Additionally, 62% of respondents said they have made a tradeoff to choose between paying for food and their utilities. Voters who prioritize homelessness break for Salas 77% to 14%. That, the poll suggests, is Salas' top issue break, though neither candidate has significantly campaigned on the topic. "Both candidates have the potential to make some moves in the last six weeks here," Maddox said about undecided voters. Click here for the full poll results.