In the race to replace former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) in Congress, San Joaquin Valley voters on Tuesday elected Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong, a state lawmaker endorsed by Donald Trump.
The Associated Press called California’s 20th Congressional District race for Fong at 8:17 p.m. Fong defeated fellow Republican Mike Boudreaux, the sheriff of Tulare County.
McCarthy resigned from Congress at the end of 2023 after being voted out as speaker of the House of Representatives. Fong will complete McCarthy’s term, which ends in January and represents a sprawling agricultural district spanning Kern, Tulare, Kings and Fresno counties.
In a prepared statement, Fong said he was “filled with humility and gratitude” at the initial results.
“Now that the campaign is over, the real work begins,” Fong said. “In Congress, I will remain focused on solving the tough problems facing our community – securing the border, supporting small businesses, bringing investments in water storage and infrastructure, unleashing our energy industry, and keeping the United States safe amid the serious security threats facing our nation.”
Fong, 44, started his career working for McCarthy’s predecessor, then-Rep. Bill Thomas then served as McCarthy’s district director for nearly a decade before winning an Assembly seat in 2016.
Boudreaux, 57, has been sheriff of Tulare County for more than a decade and serves as head of the California State Sheriffs’ Assn.
Boudreaux said in a prepared statement that he called Tuesday evening to congratulate Fong. He added that he was “absolutely humbled by the outpouring of support from family, friends and neighbors in Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern counties who donated their time and energy to our campaign and donated generously to spread our message for a better valley.”
Fong and Boudreaux will meet again in November, when voters will elect a representative to a full two-year term in Congress. As an incumbent, Fong will provide a significant advantage.
Although McCarthy was not on the ballot, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives had a hand in boosting Fong, using his political influence and fundraising ability to help his hand-picked successor.
Fong came first in the March primary for the full two-year term and the remainder of McCarthy’s term, raising more than three times as much money as Boudreaux.
Fong also received support from a political action committee called Central Valley Values, which reported raising $950,000 from McCarthy’s Majority Committee PAC and a new PAC funded by major Republican donors, including longtime McCarthy ally Barbara Grimm-Marshall of Bakersfield’s Grimmway Farms , the world’s largest carrot. grower.
Fong also got a boost from Trump’s support in March, which was widely seen as orchestrated by McCarthy. The endorsement was a coup for Fong, who has largely avoided the culture wars that dominate factions of the Republican Party and sought to win over right-wing Republicans skeptical of the political establishment.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
