Candidates scramble to win House seat held by retired Speaker Kevin McCarthy

Eleven candidates are on the March 5 primary ballot in California’s 20th Congressional District, previously held by retired Rep. Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, left Congress in December after being ousted as Speaker of the House of Representatives in October. In addition to the March 5 primary for a full two-year term to start in Jan. 2025, there is a separate election with a March 19 primary to finish the remainder of McCarthy’s term. Some of the same candidates are running in both, but this page focuses just on candidates for the March 5 primary. California’s 20th, a solidly-red di...