Republican running for Kevin McCarthy's vacant seat disqualified from special election

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is leaving Congress after his historic ouster as Speaker of the House earlier this year — and the fight to replace him in the special election for his very conservative Central Valley district is on.

But it's already hitting some major complications. According to KBAK, the California Secretary of State has disqualified one of the leading Republican contenders, Assemblyman Vince Fong, from running.

"According to a release, under state law, a candidate who has filed their declaration of candidacy is not permitted to withdraw as a candidate at that primary election," said the report. "It said, 'Mr. Fong filed his completed nomination documents for Assembly District 32 prior to the close of the December 8, 2023 filing deadline. Mr. Fong then submitted completed nomination documents for Congressional District 20 during the 5-day extension period triggered by the incumbent’s decision not to seek re-election. State law prohibits any candidate from filing nomination papers for more than one office at the same election.'"

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Fong had originally decided not to run for the seat, but changed his mind at the last moment, following the decision of fellow Republican Shannon Grove not to enter the race.

"The Secretary of State’s office has determined that Fong’s filed nomination papers for Congressional District 20 were improperly submitted," the report continued.

With Fong out of the way, one of the main Republican contenders to replace McCarthy is now David Giglio, a local businessman who has endorsements from extremist Trump allies Roger Stone and Michael Flynn.