In an election-year twist spawned by the sudden retirement of former House Speaker and Central Valley Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a California appellate court ruled Tuesday that Bakersfield Republican Vince Fong can legally appear on the November ballot in two different races.
Fong filed to run for reelection to the state Assembly, where he represents the Bakersfield area, then, after McCarthy announced his retirement, submitted paperwork to run for the newly vacant seat in Congress. Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a Democrat, tried to keep Fong out of the congressional primary, saying state election law barred candidates from running for two offices at the same time.
A Sacramento County judge in December ruled that Fong could run in the 20th…
