McCarthy’s hand-picked successor’s wild ride could end with a crash

Assemblyman Vince Fong changed his mind and decided he does want to run for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) seat, but a California law might stop him.

Fong launched his campaign on Monday in the deep-red district encompassing counties of Kern, Fresno, Tulare, and Kings less than a week after McCarthy announced the end of his 17-year House career. The problem for McCarthy’s district director is he already told the state he was planning on running for another office, boxing him out of the contest in March.

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Following a short-lived speakership in which House Republicans ousted him from the chamber’s top role in October, McCarthy said he plans to retire from Congress at the end of the year.

Fong was immediately floated as a replacement, starting his career working for former California Republican Rep. Bill Thomas, McCarthy’s predecessor in Congress, and then serving as McCarthy’s district director. However, Fong rejected the calls to run for McCarthy’s seat, writing on X, formerly Twitter, on Dec. 7 that “now is not my time.”

Four days later, Fong changed course when another prominent GOP contender, state Sen. Shannon Grove, announced she would not seek McCarthy’s seat.

“It is my strong belief that the Central Valley must continue to be represented by proven, conservative leaders in Congress,” Fong said in a statement on Monday. “In light of recent developments and in an attempt to unite our community in this critical moment in our nation’s history, I have decided to run for Congress in 2024. Let’s go.”

McCarthy backed Fong on Tuesday morning, a monumental first endorsement. “There is no one that I trust more to continue the fight for common-sense and conservative values in Washington DC. I am proud to endorse my friend Vince Fong for Congress,” he said.

However, Fong’s road to being a candidate isn’t clear, as he has already filed for reelection to the assembly. Under California law, a candidate cannot appear on one ballot for two separate offices. Because Fong has already filed paperwork to run for reelection, and the filing deadline has passed, he is not eligible to appear as a candidate for Congress.

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Fong will need to file to run in the state’s 20th Congressional District before the candidacy deadline on Dec. 13 for the congressional term that begins in January 2025. The California secretary of state’s office told the Bakersfield Californian that the law is clear, and the office is firm that “no withdrawal is allowed, and a person cannot run for more than one office in the same election.”

It is unclear how Fong’s campaign will address the California law blocking him from withdrawing his candidacy for assembly and running for Congress and what legal battles may emerge. The Washington Examiner reached out to Fong for comment.