The 20th Congressional District race heats up as Fong dominates early results.
By Natalie Willis, Reporter, Valley Ag Voice
As the dust settles on Super Tuesday in California, the Central Valley emerges as a critical battleground for primary candidates, with agricultural issues such as water management and entitlement serving as key points of contention.
Current 32nd District Assemblyman Vince Fong leads the 20th Congressional District race to replace former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. According to the Secretary of State’s website, Fong received 38.7% of the vote, with Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux following at 24.9% and teacher Marissa Wood at 21.7%.
The 22nd Congressional District’s district-wide results favored incumbent David Valadao who led with 34.1% of the vote. His opponent, former Assemblymember Rudy Salas received 28.3% of the vote and businessman Chris Mathys followed with 22.3%. Senator Melissa Hurtado trailed behind at 15.3%.
35th District Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains took the lead over Republican opponent Robert Rosas, securing 57.2% of the vote, compared to Rosas who received 42.8%.
Four candidates ran for the 33rd District Assembly seat to replace incumbent Devon Mathis who will retire at the end of his current term. Republicans Alexandra Macedo and Xaviar Avila are leading the race — Macedo at 43.3% and Avila at 24.3%.
Kern County 4th District Supervisor incumbent David Couch secured the lead over his opponents with 52.62% of the vote according to Kern County Elections. Delano councilmember Veronica Cruz Vasquez received 17.70%, Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia received 16.69%, and Delano Vice Mayor Salvador Solorio Ruiz received 13% of the vote.
Election results will be updated throughout the canvass period — 30 days granted to California county elections officials to count every valid ballot. Final results for presidential delegates are required to the Secretary of State by April 2, and all other contests by April 5.
Election results are not final until the Secretary of State compiles the official statewide results following the canvass period.
20TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Early results from the 20th Congressional Race to replace former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy placed Assemblymember Vince Fong in the lead.
Four of the candidates — Mike Boudreaux (R), Vince Fong (R), Andy Morales (D), and Marissa Wood (D) — were hosted by KGET in February to debate topical issues affecting local communities as well as the entire nation.
When discussing agricultural water entitlement, Fong explained that farmers are paying 100% for water through the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project but only receive 15% of their total allotment.
“I’m the only legislator on this stage and I’ve been fighting for water for the past eight years in Sacramento,” Fong said. “We need to move the water when we get it, increase the pumping when we have it, align the scheduling between the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project, [and] we need to build more infrastructure.”
Boudreaux described the lack of water provided to farmers as a national security issue, pointing to the harmful pushback from environmentalist groups.
“We have environmentalists who are pushing back against what is an issue of national security. We must be able to feed our soldiers. We must be able to feed America,” Boudreaux said. “If we don’t support our farmers then, quite frankly, we’re in a position where our national security is in jeopardy.”
Both Fong and Boudreaux pointed to innovative technologies to improve water allocation for Central Valley farmers. Fong emphasized the importance of water storage projects while Boudreaux zeroed in on hydroelectric dams and desalination plants.
On the other side of the aisle, Wood explained that she is married to a farmer and understands the plight of local growers. She expressed a need to work with environmentalists to ensure that water is not sent away from farmers.
“Water is a shared resource, and we have to prioritize water to the agricultural community as well as water to our rural communities…we have to be innovative; we have to be creative in terms of getting the water here to where it needs to be,” Wood said.
Morales explained his plans to rebuild infrastructure that is “green” and protects the environment via the Green New Deal.
“If we all remember correctly, we used to have a trade war with China and at the tail end of it we had to bail out our farmers to the tune of billions and billions of tax dollars rather than putting our farmers in unnecessary harm’s way,” Morales said. “How about we just give them the resources they need to put food on my plate, your plate, and America’s plate.”
Morales received 3.3% of the vote on Super Tuesday.
Voters in the 20th Congressional District will cast their ballots again for a special primary election on March 19.
22ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Incumbent for the 22nd Congressional District David Valadao took the lead in the race, but Democratic opponent Rudy Salas was not far behind. The two candidates will move on to the general election in November.
In a prior statement shared with the Valley Ag Voice, Valadao explained his introduction of the WATER for California Act which advocates for reliable water access for farms and rural communities.
“As Congress’ only dairy farmer, I have firsthand experience with the kinds of issues our agriculture community faces. My team and I have regular meetings with stakeholders in our agriculture industry and an open line of communication with many of the farmers, ranchers, and producers in our district,” Valadao told the Valley Ag Voice. “Last year, I brought both the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees to the Valley to give our farmers a seat at the table and make sure their voices were heard not just by me, but by members from across the country.”
GENERAL ELECTION
Only the top two vote-getters in the primary election move on to the general election. The general election will take place on November 5, 2024. A special primary election for the 20th Congressional District seat will take place on March 19, 2024.