Congressional seat may be up to May runoff
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) — As results continue to trickle in for the Special Election in California’s 20th Congressional District to replace former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, it’s appearing a candidate may not come away with the majority 50% plus one vote needed to claim victory.
As a result, the top two vote-getters are likely on their way to a special runoff election on May 21.
As it stands, Republican California State Assemblyman Vince Fong from Bakersfield, who represents California Assembly District 32, has a strong lead. Tuesday night he stated why he believes he is the candidate to lead the 20th Congressional District into the future.
“We know that our state and our country is in crisis. They want us to secure the border. They want us to control inflation and get our fiscal house in order. They want someone that can defend our water and energy resources. And they know that when they evaluate all the candidates, the most qualified candidate is me,” said Fong.
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, also a Republican, sits in second, as Democrat Marisa Wood is close behind in third. Boudreaux is already set to go head-to-head with Fong for the full-term race in November and told me Tuesday his spirits are still high even though he was not in the lead at the conclusion of the night.
“I’m feeling pretty confident. I anticipated a potential runoff. I know Marisa is still collecting votes, so we’ll see how that pans out. And, you know, I’ve been through these before, so it’ll still be a couple of days or maybe a day or so until we get the final results,” said Sheriff Boudreaux.
Boudreaux told me he believes his experience in law enforcement would be the perfect thing the 20th Congressional District needs.
“I’ve been in the trenches working with bad legislation and I know what it means to those who are stricken with poverty. I know what it means for those who are stricken with, you know, crime victims of crime. And I have those real-life experiences that I think I can take back to Washington, D.C.”
And while it appears no candidate will win the final 9 months of McCarthy’s term, Fresno County Registrar of Voters James Kus told me he and his office are ready for what will likely come in the weeks ahead.
“If we don’t have a majority winner, then we’ll have a general election for this special in May,” said Kus. “The winner of that election will be sat by Congress by the end of May and they’ll fill out the remaining seven months of the vacancy.”
