Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux joins race to succeed Kevin McCarthy. Who else is in?
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, a popular Republican in California’s 20th Congressional District, has joined the list of potential successors to Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
In a statement, Boudreaux said he looked forward to continuing McCarthy’s legacy “as a fighter for our region.”
“I am honored by the volume of calls from neighbors, friends, and family who have asked me to run and serve,” Boudreaux said. “Service — no matter where — is a calling.”
Boudreaux has been sheriff since 2013 and is the current president of the California State Sheriff’s Association. He first joined the county sheriff’s office as a cadet at age 19 and has been on the force for 37 years, following in the footsteps of his father, a detective.
“In my time as Sheriff,” Boudreaux said, “I have led the charge to make Tulare County one of the safest in California — even when it meant going toe-to-toe against decriminalization efforts crafted by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sacramento.”
Who else is running to succeed Kevin McCarthy?
The filing deadline for California’s solidly-Republican 20th district closed Wednesday. The candidate lists are still unofficial. Kern County, which includes Bakersfield, hasn’t released a list of those who filed paperwork.
Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, earned McCarthy’s coveted endorsement. Before the Assembly, Fong served as McCarthy’s district director for almost a decade.
But his congressional bid faces legal challenges. Fong first decided against running for Congress, opting instead to seek re-election before a Friday deadline. By Monday, he changed his mind and was sworn in as a congressional candidate in Kern County. He’s not allowed to withdraw from the Assembly race and can’t be on the ballot for two different races, according to the California secretary of state.
If the secretary of state and Kern County allow the Bakersfield Assemblyman to run, then another GOP contender, David Giglio, said he’d file a legal challenge in state court. Giglio is an “America First” business owner who ran in California’s 13th Congressional District in the 2022 primary.
Two more Republicans filed paperwork to run for McCarthy’s seat:
Matt Stoll, a fighter pilot, in 2022 ran in the special election to fill former Rep. Devin Nunes’ seat and in the primary against Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, as did Kyle Kirkland, the owner of Fresno’s Club One Casino.
Democrats Marisa Wood, a Bakersfield school teacher who lost a challenge to McCarthy in 2022, and Andy Morales of Bakersfield, a recent college graduate working in private security, are in. John Burrows, a Fresno public affairs entrepreneur, dropped out Wednesday and endorsed Wood.
Depending on when McCarthy retires, Newsom must or may call for a special election to fill the remainder of his term.
McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, said he would leave Congress by year’s end after being ousted as House speaker in October by a band of eight GOP hardliners and all Democrats.
