Trump backs McCarthy’s chosen successor for House seat

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Kevin McCarthy’s chosen successor for his House seat Tuesday, giving Assemblymember Vince Fong a major advantage in a deep red Central Valley district.

Fong, a Bakersfield Republican, has been the putative frontrunnerin the contest, buoyed by his long-standing ties to McCarthy’s political operation. But his race had also become a referendum on anti-establishment sentiment among GOP voters, with his opponents positioning themselves as the true standard bearers of Trump’s party.

Trump’s backing gives Fong a much-needed credibility boost among the MAGA faithful.

“Now is the time to unite around Vince Fong and elect a true Republican to this seat,” Trump wrote on his social media network, Truth Social. Fong quickly publicized Trump’s post, thanking the former president for his support.

McCarthy has been influential in guiding Trump’s endorsements in the past. In particular, he helped convince the former president not to endorse a challenger to GOP Rep. David Valadao in a neighboring Central Valley district in 2022, even though Valadao had voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Fong and his fellow candidates are running in the March 5 primary as well as a special election primary on March 19 to complete McCarthy’s current term.

Trump’s endorsement is especially a blow to Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, who has run to Fong’s right as a law-and-order conservative and a change from the McCarthy machine. Boudreaux had scooped up the endorsement of Trump administration figures, such as acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell, as well as David Giglio, a hard-right candidate who backed Boudreaux after dropping out of the race. Trump, in his Truth Social post, singled out Giglio as a “wonderful man who recently withdrew.”

Alex Tavlian, Boudreaux's campaign manager, reiterated the sheriff's anti-establishment message on Tuesday, asserting that "Valley voters are ready for change and are tired of the same old thing."

"Sheriff Boudreaux remains a steadfast supporter of President Trump and looks forward to working with him when he wins his seat in Congress,” Tavlian said in a statement.

Trump on Tuesday issued two more establishment-friendly endorsements in competitive House primaries for safe Republican seats, picking Rep. Mike Bost over his more conservative challenger, former state Sen. Darren Bailey, in Southern Illinois; and state House Speaker Tim Moore in a crowded field for a newly drawn North Carolina seat in suburban Charlotte.

Fong’s candidacy got off to a rocky start when he decided to seek the seat after initially filing for reelection to the Assembly. Because the deadline to withdraw had passed when he jumped into the House race, he is currently on the ballot for both positions.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber challenged the legality of Fong’s congressional campaign, but a state judge ruled in December that he could proceed. Weber appealed the ruling.

Steven Shepard contributed to this report.