She tried to unseat a Fresno congressman. Now this Republican wants Devin Nunes’ seat
The list of candidates for a Congressional seat representing Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley continues to grow as Elizabeth Heng announced Thursday she will seek to replace Rep. Devin Nunes.
Heng, who previously challenged Rep. Jim Costa in 2018, joins a crowded field seeking support for the 22nd Congressional District seat. The seat’s boundaries are changing amid a redistricting year.
The Fresno Republican said her decision followed an outpouring of encouragement from voters. Heng graduated from Stanford and Yale, was a D.C. staffer as chief of protocol for the House Foreign Affairs Committee and worked for former Rep. Ed Royce, who represented the Los Angeles area.
“With this opportunity, I believe this is the best way to have a substantial impact on our district’s important issues: Agriculture, water, education and infrastructure,” Heng said in a statement. “Devin Nunes has left an inspirational legacy, and I hope to continue the work he has started.”
Nunes announced this month he will retire at the end of the year, leaving with about a year left in his term. The same day, he was named the chief executive officer of the Trump Media & Technology Group.
It’s up to Gov. Gavin Newsom to call for the special election but the clock to make that decision does not start until Nunes is officially out of office, according to elections officials.
The child of Chinese-Cambodian immigrants, Heng previously announced a plan to challenge Sen. Alex Padilla, but that was about nine months before Nunes announced his intentions to retire. It wasn’t immediately clear what the challenge for the 22nd District seat means for her run for Senate.
Other prominent opponents
Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig, R-Clovis, said last week he will vie to replace Nunes. State Sen. Andreas Borgeas, R-Fresno, has also made public his plans to run.
Three Democrats who aren’t already in office have announced intentions to run — Phil Arballo, Eric Garcia and Lourin Hubbard.
Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld, a Republican, has said he’s looking at a potential run.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 12:06 PM.
