He doesn’t want to win, but Fong leads by wide margin in 32nd Assembly race
Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, took a big lead in the reelection race he didn’t care to win as each of his four write-in opponents failed to show up in early returns Tuesday night.
Fong, who has set his sights squarely on California’s 20th Congressional District, received all 5,400 votes counted with only 10% of precincts partially reported as of 9:30 p.m., according to the California Secretary of State’s Office. The write-in candidates’ votes weren’t even listed yet.
The race has been unusual in the sense that Fong was the only candidate whose name appeared on the ballot. He had already filed papers to run for reelection when a court decision in late December allowed him to run for the seat being vacated by his mentor, fellow Bakersfield Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
While that ruling remains under appeal, three Republicans and a single Democrat mounted write-in campaigns for his Assembly seat. The top two vote-getters will face-off in the November general election.
Ken Weir won Fong’s endorsement to succeed him. A certified public accountant and chairman of the Kern County Republican Party for more than six years, Weir, age 69, was a Bakersfield City School District trustee for 14 years until his election in 2006 to the Bakersfield City Council, where he has served ever since.
In the Assembly race, Weir ran on a platform of working with state Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, who also endorsed him, to halt what he sees as Sacramento’s assault on local oil and ag. By way of an update Tuesday, Weir said his outlook was positive, that he expected to have a good night and he hoped voters “have a say and rightfully so.”
Small businessman Ian David Smith, 44, has no political experience and says his platform is available to anyone with a Bible. He denounced progressive ideology he says is devouring the Golden State. He blames state and federal policies for increases in homelessness, mental illness, crime and government overreach.
On Tuesday, Smith said by email he and his wife spent the morning in prayer for the state and the nation, adding, “My outlook is eternal, and my hope is not in anything of myself or this world. My hope is in Jesus. God is never surprised, and this election will not be the exception. Not my will, but God’s will be done.”
Write-in candidate Tom Willis, 66, has owned and operated San Joaquin Veterinary Hospital since 2000. He decided to run for the seat, the self-described “lifelong maximum freedom Republican” said by email, because of his concern for how California has been run.
Retired clinical psychologist David Duane Wood is the sole write-in Democratic candidate in a district with 48% Republican registration to about 26% Democratic. The district covers parts of Kern, Kings and Tulare counties.
Wood, 74, has never run for office but has co-authored legislation as a member of the California Senior Legislature.