Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s hand-picked successor for the California seat he vacated can’t legally run for Congress, according to state officials.
California Assemblyman Vince Fong’s short-lived bid to replace Mr. McCarthy in the 20th District was halted on Friday when the California secretary of state announced his candidacy was invalid because he missed the Dec. 8 deadline to file his candidacy papers and filed candidacy papers for more than one office, which isn’t allowed.
Mr. McCarthy had endorsed Mr. Fong, saying, “There is no one that I trust more to continue the fight for common-sense and conservative values in Washington.”
The hiccup in Mr. Fong’s candidacy stems from the last-minute nature of Mr. McCarthy’s retirement. Mr. Fong, a Republican who previously served as Mr. McCarthy’s district director, initially opted not to run for the House seat and filed for reelection in his state Assembly district. Another lawmaker, state Sen. Shannon Grove, was expected to run to replace Mr. McCarthy.
Mrs. Grove decided against a run for Congress, and Mr. Fong hastily threw his hat into the race for the soon-to-be vacant seat. Mr. McCarthy endorsed him earlier this week. The deadline to file or withdraw from a race was Dec. 8. Mr. Fong filed to run for Congress on Dec. 11.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber also said state law prohibits a candidate from filing nomination papers for more than one office in the same election.
“As such, the Secretary of State’s office has determined that Mr. Fong’s filed nomination papers for Congressional District 20 were improperly submitted,” Mrs. Weber said. “Mr. Fong will not appear on the list of certified candidates for Congressional District 20 that our office will transmit to county election officials.”
Mr. Fong decried the secretary of state’s decision, calling the move “an unprecedented interference in the candidate filing process.”
He vowed to challenge the decision in court and said the lawsuit would be filed imminently.
“Voters in the 20th Congressional District have a right to choose the candidate of their choice to represent them in Congress,” Mr. Fong said. “I will fight the Secretary of State’s misguided decision and do whatever it takes to give voters in our community a real choice in this election because the voters choose our elected officials, not Sacramento.”
Mr. McCarthy’s seat is not the only pending vacancy in the House. Rep. Bill Johnson, Ohio Republican, and Rep. Brian Higgins, New York Democrat, are slated to leave the lower chamber early next year.
Expelled former lawmaker George Santos’ New York seat will be filled in a special election on Feb. 13. Former Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat, will face Nassau County Legislature member Mazi Pilip, a Republican, for the swing-district House seat on Long Island.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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