California Voters to Decide Who Will Finish McCarthy’s Term

For the third time this year, voters in California’s most conservative congressional district will choose whom they want to replace Kevin McCarthy, the ousted speaker of the House — and this time the winner will head straight to Washington.

In a special runoff election on Tuesday, voters will determine who will finish Mr. McCarthy’s term for the remainder of the congressional session. The choice is between two Republicans: Vince Fong, a state assemblyman and former aide to Mr. McCarthy, and Mike Boudreaux, the sheriff of Tulare County. The two men qualified for Tuesday’s runoff after a special election in March in which they were the two top finishers, but neither candidate took 50 percent of the vote.

Mr. Fong entered Tuesday as the favorite. He has benefited not just from Mr. McCarthy’s estimable sway in the Bakersfield region, but also from an endorsement from former President Donald J. Trump.

The winner of the special election will have the benefit of incumbency in the November election for a full term representing the southern end of the Central Valley in the next congressional session. The same candidates, Mr. Fong and Mr. Boudreaux, are facing off in that contest after emerging as the top two finishers in a separate March primary contest. Mr. Boudreaux has indicated that he could decide to withdraw from the November race if he does not win Tuesday, according to KFSN-TV, a Fresno-based ABC outlet.

Both candidates have called for tighter border controls, abortion restrictions, more California oil production and more water for farmers. Mr. Boudreaux, who serves as the president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association, has emphasized his experience on public safety. Mr. Fong, who is the vice chairman of the