California’s special election to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ended in a runoff on Tuesday, leaving the Republican-leaning district open for another two months as Republicans maintain a narrow majority in the House. of the parliament that will remain.
State Rep. Vince Fong, a former McCarthy aide who was endorsed by both McCarthy and former President Trump, failed to meet the 50% threshold on Tuesday, leaving him, Republican Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreau and Democrat Marisa.・Mr. Wood will appear in the run-off election on May 21st. Election in California’s 20th Congressional District.
Fung received 42% of the vote, with 98% of votes counted, compared to 24% for Boudreau, according to the Associated Press.
The district, which runs through the farmlands of the Central Valley and includes parts of Bakersfield and Fresno, is California’s most heavily Republican seat in heavily Democratic California. Trump primarily promoted CA-20 in 2020, and McCarthy represented the district from 2007 until he left office in late 2023.
President Trump backs former aide Kevin McCarthy to fill vacant seat, former aide returns as Fong’s opponent
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy resigned from Congress last year. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Due to President Trump’s involvement, this election campaign will be watched as an indicator of the former president’s chances of survival in the lead-up to his rematch with President Biden in November.
Mr. McCarthy’s dramatic fall in the House of Representatives — he is the only speaker in history to be voted out of office — leaves behind a chaotic succession battle, with ongoing litigation and revealing divisions within the Republican Party. Ta. With nine names listed on the ballot, it seemed unlikely that any candidate would be able to surpass this threshold and win the seat outright.
Under California’s jungle primary system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election.
In the recent March 5 primary election for the full term in District 20, which begins in January, Fong and Boudreau had already advanced to the November election. Tuesday’s special election was aimed at deciding who would serve out the remainder of Mr. McCarthy’s term, which ends early next year.
Congressman Vince Fong was endorsed by President Trump to replace Mr. McCarthy. (AP Photo/Ricci Pedroncelli, File)
McCarthy departure highlights House Republicans’ dangerously thin majority
Republicans hold only 11 of the state’s 52 House seats, and the seat held by McCarthy is now vacant after he resigned.
His resignation comes after McCarthy was historically ousted from the Speaker’s position on a motion by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).
Eight House Republicans broke party lines and voted to remove McCarthy from office.
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreau is running to fill McCarthy’s House seat. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Trump endorsed Fong in February, calling him a “true Republican.” Boudreau’s supporters include Rick Grenell, who served as acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration, and Shannon Grove, a Republican state senator from Bakersfield, Fong’s hometown.
Mr. Fong and Mr. Boudreau occupy roughly the same policy area, and both are conservatives who support Mr. Trump.
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But there are insider and outsider sides to this race. While Fong is a handpicked figure by McCarthy and a product of his political maneuvering, the sheriff is not.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
