Vince Fong advances in special election runoff to replace ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy

Assemblyman Vince Fong will fulfill the remainder of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's seat in Congress, keeping the GOP's razor-thin advantage.

Assemblymember Vince Fong (right) advanced in California's special runoff election on Tuesday, beating out Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux (left).  (Carolyn Cole / ContributorMediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images / Contributor/ )

Fong and Boudreaux advanced to Tuesday's runoff following a March special election where they emerged as the top two candidates in California's jungle primary system, with neither getting more than 50% of the vote to trigger a victor. By November, voters in the district will have voted for either candidate a total of three times.

McCarthy resigned from the House in December, three months after he was voted out of the speakership. 

The district, which cuts through the Central Valley farm belt, including parts of Bakersfield and Fresno, is the most strongly Republican House seat in heavily Democratic California. Trump largely carried CA-20 in 2020 and McCarthy represented the district from 2007 until his resignation in late 2023. In February, Trump called Fong "a true Republican."

Among Boudreaux's supporters are Ric Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence under Trump, and Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove, from Fong's hometown of Bakersfield.

TULARE COUNTY SHERIFF MIKE BOUDREAUX ON THE CARTEL STYLE HIT THAT KILLED SIX PEOPLE

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted in October. (Getty Images)

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In October, the House of Representatives voted to oust McCarthy, the first time in history the top leader of the lower chamber was booted from the job. 

Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report. 

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate. 

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