Here’s who’s running for 20th District seat that represents Clovis in Congress
One Democrat and two No Party Preference candidates are challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Vince Fong of Bakersfield for California’s 20th Congressional District seat.
Fong was first elected in a May 2024 special election to serve the remainder of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s term. McCarthy, a Bakersfield Republican and top ally of President Donald Trump during his first presidential term, retired at the end of 2023 after he was ousted as House speaker.
Fong was re-elected to a two-year congressional term in November 2024. His name appeared on the ballot for the congressional seat as well as for his previous seat representing the 32nd district in the California Assembly. Under state law, it was too late for him to withdraw his assembly candidacy, meaning he appeared on the ballot for both races. When California Secretary of State Shirley Weber tried to invalidate his candidacy for Congress, Fong sued. A court sided with Fong and allowed him to stay in the race for Congress.
In addition to Fong, No Party Preference candidates Ben Dewell and Jeremy Fox, as well as Democrat Sandra Von Scotter, will also appear on the June 2 primary ballot.
Where is California’s 20th Congressional District?
The solidly-Republican 20th District encompasses parts of Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties, including the cities of Bakersfield, Clovis, Hanford, Lemoore, Tehachapi, Tulare and Visalia.
Nearly half, or 215,098, of the district’s 456,405 registered voters are registered Republicans, according to California Secretary of State data. Meanwhile, 25.68% are Democrats and 18.67% are No Party Preference.
Who are the candidates?
Dewell, a self-described “lifelong moderate,” is a No Party Preference candidate and a third time candidate for the 20th district seat. He previously ran against McCarthy as a Democrat, securing third place during the 2022 primary election. Dewell currently serves as a director of the Stallion Springs Community Service District in Tehachapi, where he has served eight years setting policy for governmental services including police, water, sewer, solid waste, roads and parks. He also served two terms with the hearing board of the Eastern Kern Air Pollution Control District.
His priorities if elected include transitioning to renewable energy, water, protecting Social Security, and immigration reform, according to his campaign website. He called the inability of the two political parties to pass meaningful, effective immigration reform “the political problem of our time.”
Fong, born in Bakersfield, was a longtime district director for his predecessor McCarthy. Before entering Congress in 2024, Fong served in the California Assembly. First elected in 2016, Fong most recently represented California’s 32nd Assembly District, which includes parts of Tulare and Kern counties.
In Congress, Fong serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as well as the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. His platform centers on supporting energy independence, water infrastructure for Central Valley farmers, securing the country’s borders, Second Amendment rights and aerospace and national defense.
Fox, of Visalia, is also a No Party Preference candidate. According to his campaign website, his political philosophy is rooted in “restoring accountability and returning to constitutional principles.” Fox, 48, ran a land surveyor company before his multiple sclerosis made it impossible to walk, he told the League of Women Voters. If elected, his priorities include restoring constitutional order, reducing the influence of money in politics, reducing the national debt and immigration reform.
Van Scotter, a disability community advocate, is the sole Democrat in the race. She is running a grassroots campaign on a platform of Medicare For All, disability rights, veteran’s rights, immigration reform and stabilizing safety net services, according to her website. She promises to update her district with regular town halls and communication. She also pledged to collaborate with state and local stakeholders to address agricultural and water concerns and has a nonpartisan webpage dedicated to transparency about “one of America’s most controversial infrastructure projects:” the California High-Speed Rail.
Who is funding the race?
Fong leads all the candidates with $1.45 million raised between Jan. 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026, according to Federal Election Commission data.
During this time frame, he has received more than $75,000 from individual contributions via the WinRed Republican Party fundraising platform, $40,000 from the Fong Victory Fund as well as several contributions from petroleum, agricultural and food processing industry political action committees. Fresno developer and contractor Richard Spencer and his wife Karen have contributed a combined $14,000 to Fong’s campaign. California Citrus Mutual and the Republican Party-affiliated Eye of the Tiger PAC have contributed $10,000 each.
Roper, the candidate who did not qualify for the ballot, had $107,428 in her campaign committee account as of March 31, according to the FEC. A majority of the funds come from a $100,000 loan Roper made to her campaign.
Van Scotter has $8,200 in her war chest as of March 31 and has pledged not to take money from corporate donations or American Israel Public Affairs Committee endorsements.
Dewell has raised $2,685 to date.
