Republican incumbent Vincent Fong has decisive lead in congressional District 20 race
Incumbent Rep. Vince Fong emerged Tuesday night with a commanding lead to defend his seat representing the Central Valley in Congress.
As of 8:41 p.m. Tuesday, the Bakersfield Republican secured 67.6% of the vote, with about 37,268 votes counted, according to California Secretary of State records.
Democratic challenger Sandra Van Scotter secured 29.5% of the vote, while No Party Preference candidates Ben Dewell and Jeremy Fox captured 1.6% and 1.3%, respectively.
Fong is all but certain to advance to the November general election in California’s 20th Congressional District.
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.
Trump issued an eleventh-hour endorsement message supporting Fong on his social media platform, Truth Social Monday evening, saying Fong was “fighting tirelessly” to work on water solutions in support of farmers, grow the economy, cut taxes and more.
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 Republicans, according to California Secretary of State data. Meanwhile, 25.68% are Democrats and 18.67% are No Party Preference.
