California court affirms Kevin McCarthy protege’s dual candidacies on state ballot

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a decision that could leave voters doing a double take, a California court ruled Tuesday that a state legislator can appear as a candidate in two races on the November ballot — one for ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s former U.S. House seat, and the other for the state Assembly seat that he plans to vacate if elected to Congress.

The ruling marked a victory for Assemblymember Vince Fong, a Republican who is a former McCarthy aide and the one-time speaker’s preferred successor in the Central Valley’s 20th Congressional District.

The decision will give district voters the “right to select the candidate of their choice,” Fong said in a statement.

The unusual dual candidacies stemmed from McCarthy’s decision to announce his retirement in early December, two months after his historic ouster as speaker and shortly before the deadline for candidates to file to run for the seat.

The announcement set off a swirl of political maneuverings that eventually led to a dispute between Fong and Democratic Secretary of State Shirley Weber over whether he could appear twice on the ballot. He earlier filed for reelection in the Assembly, but then changed direction when the coveted House seat came into play.

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