LOS ANGELES — Republican state Legislator Vince Fong has advanced to a May election in California to decide who will complete the remainder of the term of deposed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which runs through January.
Fong is a California Assembly member who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Republicans are expected to easily hold the seat, and the party’s fragile majority in the chamber was not at stake in Tuesday’s election. Because of Trump’s involvement, the race will be watched as a possible proxy vote on the former president’s clout as he heads toward an all-but-certain matchup against President Joe Biden in November.
The election was likely to leave many voters befuddled and draw a sparse turnout, because they just saw some of the same names on the March 5 primary ballot for the full 20th Congressional District term that begins in January. Fong and another Republican, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, have advanced to the November election in that contest.