Who are the candidates running to replace McCarthy in the special election?

The special election to replace former House speaker Kevin McCarthy – who left Congress before the end of his term – is being held on Tuesday.

Nine candidates are on the ballot all vying to finish Mr McCarthy’s current term in the House of Representatives.

It marks the second election in the district this month after a primary to serve the next full term was previously held on 5 March.

Mr McCarthy’s seat has been vacant since December.

The Republican congressman had been ousted from the speakership in October after just nine months in the post, as he faced a rebellion from the far-right faction of his party.

Two months later, he resigned from Congress altogether – leaving the Bakersfield seat in the Central Valley, north of Los Angeles, that he had held since 2007.

The nine candidates now seeking to replace him are all appearing on the same ballot regardless of party.

If the top candidate gets more than half of the votes, they will win the seat, but if no one gets more than 50 per cent of the vote, the top two will face off in a run-off election on 21 May.

Here’s a rundown of the candidates running to replace Mr McCarthy:

Vince Fong

The seat is guaranteed to have a Republican representative during the next term as the top two finishers in the 5 March primary for the general election were both Republicans – Mr Fong and Mike Boudreaux.

Mr Fong, a state assemblyman and former advisor to Mr McCarthy, won the endorsement of the former speaker, as well as the backing of former president Donald Trump.

Mike Boudreaux

Mr Boudreaux is the Tulare County sheriff who has garnered the support of local Republican groups as well as county leaders.

The sheriff has built a narrative around being the alternative to establishment