FRESNO, Calif. — It's been nearly one week since former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced he was stepping down from Congress at the end of the year.
Immediately following his announcement, a handful of Republican lawmakers in the San Joaquin Valley rushed to make announcements about whether they would run — or not — for his district seat.
Among the list of high-profile legislators saying they will not launch a 2024 race for House District 20 are California Assemblymembers Jim Patterson and Devon Mathis. Mathis has also announced he won't seek reelection to the legislature.
State Senator Shannon Grove also announced she will remain in state politics and not make a run for Congress.
But Republican California Assemblymember Vince Fong, whose district oversees much of Kern County and the Sierra Nevada, says he's in.
Fong posted on social media Monday that he made it official, even taking the oath to run for Congress.
It’s official. Just took the oath to run for Congress and I look forward to meeting everyone throughout the 20th Congressional District! pic.twitter.com/z8cdzFmBFn
— Vince Fong (@vfong) December 12, 2023
"I look forward to meeting everyone throughout the 20th Congressional District," Fong tweeted.
Fong's decision to run was a reversal from just last week when he issued a press release saying he would remain in the legislature — even going as far as saying he would make the case for state reelection.
In his announcement that he'd run for Congress, Fong said he strongly believes "the Central Valley must continue to be represented by proven, conservative leaders in Congress."
Fong is a former district director of McCarthy. He has spent seven years in the state assembly. He plans to focus on securing the U.S.-Mexico border, bringing down spending and energy issues.
McCarthy has faced challenges from Democrats in previous campaigns, but none of those challenges have come close.
Democrat John Burrows is running and hoping to flip the district. He launched his campaign earlier this year. It's unclear if any new high-profile Democrats will jump into the race.
Clovis businessman and "America-First Republican" David Giglio announced his campaign in October.
He is backed by at least one former Donald Trump administration official Michael Flynn. Giglio previously told KVPR he sought to break McCarthy's stronghold on politics.
