California election results: Trump-backed Vince Fong will be Kevin McCarthy's replacement

Republican Vince Fong secured a quick victory Tuesday night in the special election to fill former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s congressional seat through the end of the year, delivering the House GOP an additional vote as it hangs on by the narrowest majority in history.

Fong leads by 66% of the vote in the Central Valley's conservative 20th Congressional District, results show Wednesday morning, defeating fellow Republican and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux by 20 points. The two will face off again in November for a full two-year term.

The Bakersfield assemblyman’s resounding win follows a similar victory in the March 19 special primary. But while the margin of Fong’s defeat over Boudreaux was largely expected, the circumstances of Fong’s bid for the seat has been anything but typical. For several months it was unclear whether Fong would be allowed on the ballot for the race, as the timing of McCarthy's departure and the state's candidate filings clashed, sparking a legal battle with the Secretary of State.

A well-known figure in the district, Fong worked for McCarthy for a decade as his district director before going on to serve in the California Assembly. When McCarthy became the first speaker to be ousted from Congress in a century, he threw his support behind Fong as the chosen successor. Former President Donald Trump has also endorsed the assemblyman for the seat.

McCarthy announced his exit from Congress Dec. 6, 2023, leaving his seat open leading into 2024. Fong filed to run to take his mentor's seat, but by that time he had already filed to run for reelection for his state Assembly seat, leading Democratic Secretary of State Shirley Weber to challenge Fong's candidacy for the 20th Congressional race. In May the California Superior Court sided with Fong, allowing him to remain on the ballot for his Assembly seat and for the Congressional seat.

In effect, Fong is in the running for two separate seats at the same time, and he's the front-runner in both races.

Kathryn Palmer is an elections fellow for USA TODAY. Reach her at kapalmer@gannett.com and follow her on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Vince Fong wins run for Congress in California May election