Trump-backed legislator, county sheriff face off for McCarthy’s vacant US House seat in California

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California legislator backed by former President Donald Trump and a county sheriff promising to fight for tougher border security are matched in a special election Tuesday to decide who will complete the remainder of the term of deposed former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which runs through January.

State Assembly member Vince Fong and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, both Republicans, are vying for the vacant 20th Congressional District seat in the state’s Central Valley farm belt. The district, which cuts through parts of Bakersfield and Fresno, is the most strongly Republican House seat in heavily Democratic California.

Because of Trump’s involvement, the race will be watched as a possible proxy vote on the former president’s clout as he heads toward an all-but-certain matchup against President Joe Biden in November.

Trump endorsed Fong in February, calling him “a true Republican.” Boudreaux’s supporters include Richard Grenell, a former acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration, and Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove of Bakersfield, Fong’s home turf.

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