5 Kern County races run uncontested
Five of the dozens of Kern County candidates vying for reelection had a relatively easier path than most.
Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, ran without opposition in the 32nd Assembly District, after three terms in the 34th Assembly District, a move prompted by the recent redistricting. As of 9:15 p.m., early returns indicated that Fong and the other uncontested candidates had 100 percent of the votes. That was 5,548 votes for Fong, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
The 32nd District includes parts of Arvin, Bakersfield, Bodfish, Lebec, Porterville, Ridgecrest, Tehachapi and Visalia, among other cities and towns.
Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood ran unopposed for a fifth term, having first been elected to the office in 2006.
He had garnered 19,896 votes as of press time, according to kernvote. com.
Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer ran without opposition for her second term. She was first elected to the office in June 2018.
Zimmer cited the prosecutions of Kerry Hastings, a serial killer; Billy Ray Johnson, the “Eastside Rapist”; and reputed gang member Corey Johnson, who killed three people and attempted to kill several others, as a few of her major convictions, according to a county website.
Zimmer had garnered 20,310 votes as of press time.
Kern Superintendent Mary C. Barlow ran unopposed for the office of Kern County Superintendent of Schools. The Kern County Board of Education voted unanimously to confirm Mary Barlow as the Kern County Superintendent of Schools in December 2016, ahead of the retirement of her predecessor, Christine Lizardi Frazier.
Barlow was elected to her first full term in 2018. Her office supervises educational programming and the supporting divisions for nearly four dozen Kern County school districts that serve more than 198,000 students.
Barlow had received 19,242 votes as of press time.
Kern County Treasurer-Tax Collector Jordan Kaufman ran unopposed. Kaufman has served two terms, having first been elected in 2014.
Kaufman had collected 20,357 votes as of press time.