Tag: fong

Bakersfield legislator Vince Fong wins special election to replace Kevin McCarthy in Congress

In the race to replace former Rep. Kevin McCarthy in Congress, San Joaquin Valley voters Tuesday chose Vince Fong, a Republican state assemblyman who was endorsed by McCarthy and Donald Trump.

The Associated Press called California’s 20th Congressional District special election for Fong at 8:17 p.m. Fong bested fellow Republican Mike Boudreaux, the Tulare County sheriff.

McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) resigned from Congress at the end of 2023 after being voted out as House speaker. Fong will complete McCarthy’s term, which ends in January, representing a vast agricultural district that stretches through Kern, Tulare, Kings and Fresno counties.

In a prepared statement, Fong said that he was “filled with humility and gratitude” at the early results.

“With the campaign over, the real work now begins,” he said. “In Congress, I will remain focused on solving the tough issues facing our community — securing the border, supporting small business, bringing investment in water storage and infrastructure, unleashing our energy industry, and keeping the United States safe amidst the grave security threats facing our nation.”

Fong, 44, began his career working for McCarthy’s predecessor, then-Rep. Bill Thomas, then worked for nearly a decade as McCarthy’s district director before winning a seat in the Assembly in 2016.

Boudreaux, 57, has been the sheriff of Tulare County for more than a decade and serves as the head of the California State Sheriffs’ Assn.

Boudreaux said in a statement that he called to congratulate Fong on Tuesday night. He added that he was “absolutely humbled by the outpouring of support from family, friends, and neighbors across Fresno, Tulare, Kings, and Kern counties who stepped up to volunteer 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 choose a representative for a full two-year term in Congress. Being the incumbent will give Fong a significant advantage.

Although McCarthy was not on the ballot, the former House speaker had a hand in boosting Fong, using his political influence and fundraising prowess to help his handpicked successor.

Fong placed first in the March primary for the full two-year term and the remainder of McCarthy’s term, and raised more than three times as much money as Boudreaux.

Fong also had 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 was also boosted by the endorsement from Trump in March, 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 GOP and sought to win over right-wing Republicans skeptical of the political establishment.

Laura J. Nelson

Source link

May 21, 2024
Assemblymember Vince Fong can run for Kevin McCarthy's House seat, court rules

Bakersfield Republican Assemblymember Vince Fong can run in a Central Valley congressional race to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), a Sacramento County judge ruled Thursday.

The decision by Judge Shelleyanne W.L. Chang overrules the office of the Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, which in mid-December denied Fong’s bid to appear on the March 5 primary ballot. Fong sued Weber shortly after her office’s ruling.

“Today’s ruling is a victory for the voters of the 20th Congressional District, who will now have the opportunity to select the candidate of their choice in the March 5th election,” Fong said in a statement.

Weber’s office had said Fong could not run for two offices at the same time. Before Fong filed to run in McCarthy’s district, he had submitted paperwork for his reelection bid for his current Assembly seat.

In her ruling, Chang wrote that allowing Fong to run for both offices “somewhat defies common sense” and might also confuse voters.

State law says no person may run for “more than one office at the same election,” but Chang said that does not disqualify Fong.

Fong argued that the law has not been applicable since 2010, when California voters changed the state’s primary system, scrapping party nominations for a setup that lets the top two vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of their party affiliation.

Chang agreed with Fong, saying the state law applies only to someone going through California’s old primary system of party nominations.

Chang’s ruling is understandable, said Jessica Levinson, an election law professor at Loyola Law School. Given how the state law was written and not updated, she said, the judge may have been “left without any choice.”

“Typically judges prefer the route that allows a candidate to stay on the ballot,” Levinson said, noting criticism that kicking someone off could interfere with the democratic process.

Chang’s ruling is another twist to the election to replace McCarthy, who will leave Congress on Dec. 31, months after he was ousted from House Speaker position. Gov. Gavin Newsom will call a separate special election after McCarthy’s official resignation to temporarily fill the 20th District seat until January 2025.

Fong, McCarthy’s former staff member, has been considered the front-runner in the race. Fong quickly secured McCarthy’s endorsement after he entered the race.

Other candidates include Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux; David Giglio, a self-described “America First” candidate who has been critical of McCarthy; Matt Stoll, a former fighter pilot who operates a landscaping business and has run for Congress twice before; and Kyle Kirkland, the owner of Fresno’s only card room.

The most prominent Democrat in the race is Bakersfield teacher Marisa Wood, who raised more than $1 million in her unsuccessful run against McCarthy in 2022.

California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson in a statement said the ruling puts “an end to Democrats’ political games.”

“The Sacramento Democrat machine tried and failed to interfere in a district that heavily favors Republicans,” she said in the statement.

Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles) in a statement called the ruling “a gross interpretation of the law,” saying her office plans to introduce a bill “that will clear up this mess.”

“There is too much at stake and there is no time for GOP shenanigans,” she said in the statement.

Weber’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment as to whether it plans to appeal the ruling.

Times staff reporter Laura J. Nelson contributed to this report.

Jeong Park

Source link

December 28, 2023
California elections officials say Assemblymember Vince Fong can't run for Congress in Bakersfield

California’s chief elections officer said late Friday that Bakersfield Republican Vince Fong cannot appear on the ballot for a Central Valley congressional seat because he is already running for reelection to the state Assembly — a decision the state lawmaker vowed to challenge in court.

When Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) this month announced his retirement, Fong, 44, said he would stay in his job in the 32nd Assembly District and would not run for Congress. Days later, Fong changed his mind and filed paperwork to enter the race, prompting complaints from other candidates that he was trying to run for two offices at once, which is prohibited by state law, they said.

Fong’s paperwork to run for Congress was “improperly submitted,” the office of Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber said late Friday. The office said Fong “will not appear on the list of certified candidates for Congressional District 20 that our office will transmit to county election officials on candidates on Dec. 28.”

Fong’s campaign released a statement vowing to file a lawsuit “imminently” and calling the secretary of State’s decision an “unprecedented interference in the candidate filing process.”

County elections offices have “full jurisdiction to qualify candidates for the ballot,” while the secretary of State “simply has a ministerial duty to certify the candidate lists and include ALL qualified candidates,” the campaign said.

Fong was sworn in as a candidate for the congressional race Monday at the Kern County Elections Division office in Bakersfield.

“I will fight the Secretary of State’s misguided decision and do whatever it takes to give voters in our community a real choice in this election,” Fong said in a statement.

Jessica Levinson, an election law professor at Loyola Law School, said California is “not at all alone in making a policy choice that candidates should only run for one office at the same time.

“Given that there are a number of state laws that do appear to have bans on running for two different offices in the same election, and California appears to have such a ban, this does seem to be an appropriate decision,” Levinson said.

But, she said, she wondered whether Fong could challenge as outdated a section of the state law that reads: “No person may file nomination papers for a party nomination and an independent nomination for the same office, or for more than one office at the same election.”

In 2010, California voters rewrote the state’s primary system, scrapping party nominations in favor of a system in which the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.

Fong, 44, has been widely seen as the front-runner in the congressional race and has secured McCarthy’s endorsement. Born and raised in Bakersfield, Fong began his career working for McCarthy’s predecessor, then-Rep. Bill Thomas, then worked for nearly a decade as McCarthy’s district director.

Fong was elected in 2016 to the state Assembly, where he has largely focused on public safety, water and fiscal issues, generally eschewing the culture wars that dominate factions of the GOP. He carried bills attempting to pause a tax on gasoline that funds road repairs and direct money away from high-speed rail, both of which were unsuccessful.

Fong has served as vice chairman of the Assembly budget committee, a perch he has used to advocate for conservative fiscal policies, even though Republicans have little power to influence decisions in the state Capitol.

Fong was the only candidate who filed to run for the 32nd Assembly district seat. The filing deadline for the race was Dec. 8.

Laura J. Nelson

Source link

December 15, 2023
Bakersfield Assemblyman Vince Fong will run to replace Kevin McCarthy in Congress

Bakersfield Assemblymember Vince Fong said Monday he is entering the race to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy in Congress, becoming the best-known Republican vying for the Central Valley seat in the House of Representatives.

When McCarthy announced last week that he planned to retire by the end of the year, Fong, 44, said he would not run for the seat in California’s 20th Congressional District. But on Monday morning, Fong said he had changed his mind.

“It is my strong belief that the Central Valley must continue to be represented by proven, conservative leaders in Congress,” Fong said. “In light of recent developments and in an attempt to unite our community in this critical moment in our nation’s history, I have decided to run for Congress in 2024.”

He added: “I have spent my career fighting for Central Valley families. I am eager and ready to take that fight to Washington and deliver meaningful results for our community.”

Fong, who was born and raised in Bakersfield, began his career working for McCarthy’s predecessor, then-Rep. Bill Thomas, then worked for nearly a decade as McCarthy’s district director. Fong was elected to the state Assembly in 2016.

It’s a path that mirrors that of McCarthy, who began his political career in Thomas’ office, then served four years in the state Assembly before running for Congress.

In Sacramento, Fong has largely focused on public safety, water and fiscal issues, generally eschewing culture wars that dominate some parts of the GOP. He carried bills attempting to pause a tax on gasoline that funds road repairs and direct money away from high speed rail, both of which were unsuccessful.

Fong has served as the vice chairman of the Assembly budget committee, a perch he has used to advocate for conservative fiscal policies even though Republicans have little power to influence decisions in the state Capitol.

Fong currently represents about 60% of the voters in California’s 20th Congressional District, his campaign said.

In Washington, Fong said he would aim to “defend the Central Valley’s water and energy resources,” focus on border security, and oppose “new taxes and the reckless spending that has fueled inflation and caused our cost of living to soar.”

Fong’s announcement came hours after California Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), seen as a front-runner for the seat, said she would not run.

In a statement late Sunday, Grove said “after prayerful consideration and thoughtful discussions” with her family, she had decided to finish serving her California Senate term, which ends in 2026.

“I will honor my commitment to those who elected me to the California state Senate, and I will continue to fight for the needs of Central Valley residents,” Grove said. “Our district feeds and fuels the nation, and I intend to continue fighting for those interests! As one of only 40 Senators in the state, there is still much work that lies before me.”

Candidates have until Wednesday to enter the race for McCarthy’s seat.

Times Sacramento bureau chief Laurel Rosenhall contributed to this report.

Laura J. Nelson

Source link

December 11, 2023
Who will replace Bakersfield Republican Kevin McCarthy in Congress? Here are possible candidates

Assemblymember Vince Fong, 44, Republican

Assemblymember Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield).

(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

First elected to the Assembly in 2016, Fong serves as the vice chair of the budget and transportation committees.

The Republican began his career in politics as a staff member for longtime Bakersfield Rep. Bill Thomas, who served as a chair to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, where Fong worked on international trade policy. Fong then served as district director for McCarthy, advising the congressman on issues affecting the Central Valley and helping serve constituents.

Fong has been a vocal critic of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push for restricting oil production in California and the administration’s overall energy policies, and has warned that the state’s electricity grid is not capable of supporting the administration’s mandated transition to electric vehicles. Fong also has criticized the spending of state money by Newsom and the California Legislature’s Democratic leadership.

Sen. Shannon Grove, 58, Republican

State Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield).

(Associated Press)

Grove, who once described herself as a “gun-carrying, tongue-talking, spirit-filled believer,” served as leader of the California Senate Republicans for two years.

The Bakersfield Republican is a U.S. Army veteran and served six years in the Assembly before her election to the state Senate in 2018. An enthusiastic supporter of Trump before and after he lost the 2020 presidential election, Grove called him “the greatest of all time” and reiterated false claims that President Biden won the election because of voter fraud.

Grove is a staunch defender of the California oil industry, a critical economic force in her Bakersfield-area Senate district. She has opposed mandatory vaccinations for schoolchildren, including the COVID-19 vaccine, and this year successfully pushed through legislation to increase penalties for child sex traffickers.

Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig, 47, Republican

Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig.

(Craig Kohlruss / Fresno Bee/TNS)

Republican Nathan Magsig is a member of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors who unsuccessfully ran for Congress last year for the seat occupied by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove).

He has acted as a conservative firebrand in the Fresno area, voting earlier this year to sue the state of California over a law that requires cities to eliminate the Native American slur “squaw” from geographic features and place names. He has also echoed Trumpisms about unfounded election fraud claims.

The former youth pastor who also served as mayor of conservative Clovis was a staunch McCarthy supporter, telling The Times earlier this month: “My focus now is to show my support for him.”

Phil Willon, Mackenzie Mays

Source link

December 6, 2023