BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- Ahead of the Nov. 5 general election, 17 News will profile candidates for federal, state and local offices. This week, we feature the race for California's 35th Assembly District. 17 News political reporter Jenny Huh spoke one-on-one with one of the candidates, incumbent Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains, who first took office in 2022. A healthcare provider, Bains continues to emphasize she's a doctor, not a politician. "Nobody that looked like me was in the legislature," Bains stated. "I'm the first South Asian woman, I'm the first Sikh American in the Legislature of California history." Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains is a lawmaker of many firsts, but she was once the political newcomer. "Bringing $40 million back to Kern County, bringing a medical school to Kern County, supporting our first responders, I'll take being a political newcomer because it seems to be working for Kern County right now," Bains said with confidence, looking back at her first term in office. Bains has perhaps become most known for voting against fellow Democrats on oil and gas. "The question is, what are these policies really doing?" Bains said of the Legislature. "I would like to know an answer to why it's acceptable to shift our dependence to foreign products." In her first term, Bains was the lone Democrat to vote against Gov. Gavin Newsom's bill to prevent price-gouging by oil companies. Consequently, she was temporarily stripped of a committee assignment. Bains is still taking the same stance, specifically on a special session bill to require oil refineries to have minimum fuel reserves to prevent price hikes. "Last year, I was the only Democrat in the Assembly to vote no, and this year, I wasn't alone," Bains said, pointing out the shift in fellow Democrats' perspectives. According to OpenSecrets and CalMatters, of 56 legislators in 2023, Bains received the second highest amount of financial support from the oil and gas industry. 17's Jenny Huh: "Are your votes influenced by campaign contributions?" Asm. Dr. Jasmeet Bains: "How many Democrats did you state get money from oil and gas?" 17's Jenny Huh: "I should, I did not count how many Democrats. I did think it was notable that you did receive from that your Republican colleagues." Asm. Dr. Jasmeet Bains: "So I wasn't the only one." 17's Jenny Huh: "But the question was, are your votes influenced by campaign contributions?" Asm. Dr. Jasmeet Bains: "Absolutely not, my votes are influenced by the district I represent." According to the report, 35 other Democrats received donations. The 39-year-old incumbent was born in Ohio and raised in Delano. Bains is also making headlines for getting her Grow Your Own Bill -- which would bring a University of California medical school to Kern -- signed into law. "A medical school will bring job growth and at the same time, help address the biggest reason why our industries are being shut down, because of healthcare disparities," Bains said. It's still in its early stages, but an endowment fund has been established. 17's Jenny Huh: "[Do you have] any goals as to where the exact location or what city it may be in?" Asm. Dr. Jasmeet Bains: "This is, there's going to be a feasibility study done by the UC, the second this endowment fund opens up, so they'll be able to point us in the right direction." Bains said while some funding has been secured, anyone can make tax deductible contributions to the school's groundbreaking. "The real problem that California has is a rural and urban divide," Bains added. "It's a rich and poor dynamic." Among her priorities has also been healthcare, specifically fighting drug addiction. Bains touted her accomplishments of securing millions for a Kern County task force, as well as increasing hospital beds for detox, statewide. "Incarcerating our way out of this problem is not going to bring people the help that they need," Bains said, highlighting that victim and rehabilitation services are where the focus should be. Bains also discussed how she's been one of select Democrats to oppose the raising of taxes, as well as defending rural communities -- like Kern County -- from standing vanguard in the switch to carbon neutrality. She's also focused her lawmaking on lowering and controlling utility bills, Bains said. And on crime, Bains said she's all for accountability, noting that she was one of the first lawmakers to endorse Proposition 36, the latest move in an effort to amend the controversial Proposition 47. AD-35 encompasses just Kern County and includes east Bakersfield, Delano, McFarland, Shafter, Wasco and Arvin. It's a majority Latino district that leans Democratic. In her first re-election bid, Bains faces Kern GOP-backed candidate Robert Rosas. When asked about her opponent -- specifically his being a Republican -- Bains responded that anybody can run for office. "I've not been in politics long," the incumbent said. "I don't know what 'Valleycrat' means, I don't know what progressive means, I don't know what a moderate [Democrat] is..." Click here for the full interview with Jasmeet Bains.