(RepublicanView.org) – Vince Fong, a Republican member of California’s State Assembly, is reportedly projected to advance to a special runoff election to replace Kevin McCarthy in representing the state’s 20th congressional district.
Fong has already received an endorsement from McCarthy, who previously served as US House speaker. He also has the support of former president Donald Trump. Mike Boudreaux, the sheriff of Tulare County, is reportedly expected to go up against him.
Ultimately, two candidates will face off against each other on May 21 in the special election regardless of their political affiliation. The election originally caused confusion among voters after California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom scheduled the special election just two weeks after the state’s Republican primaries. No candidate achieved the minimum 50% of votes necessary to win the special election, thus leading to May’s runoff.
The winner of the runoff will serve the remainder of McCarthy’s term through January 2025. However, both Boudreaux and Fong are expected to be on November’s ballot for a full term. The district is among California’s few conservative strongholds and will likely guarantee another Republican representative.
McCarthy announced his retirement in December 2023, just two months after his position as House speaker was revoked, making him the first person in US history to be removed from the House leadership position. He also cited the growing divisions in Congress as a reason for his retirement, echoing dozens of others in a nearly historic exodus from office. According to The Wall Street Journal, he said he wants to “serve America in new ways” but did not clarify his future plans.
The exodus could work in favor for the Republican party as it struggles to maintain a House majority. Many of the districts left vacant are either in blue states where populations have diminished or red states where they have soared.
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