BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Come 2025, some Kern and Tulare County voters may be partaking in yet another election.
This special election is to fill the 32nd Assembly District seat, vacated by now-Congressman Vince Fong.
Back in Oct. 2024, just a month before the general presidential election, 17 News spoke with the Congressman about the potential of a special election.
17’s Jenny Huh: “In terms of the logistics, a special election could happen?”
Rep. Vince Fong: “We’ll cross the bridge if it happens. We’ll do another interview, and we’ll discuss that option.”
17’s Jenny Huh: “I’m going to hold you to that.”
Rep. Vince Fong: “All right.”
That special election is now a reality.
As former state Assemblyman Vince Fong became Congressman Fong, he left the 32nd Assembly District seat vacant.
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He ran for Congress in the first place because his longtime mentor — Kevin McCarthy — resigned from the 20th Congressional District, following his ouster from the House speakership.
“I found out Congressman McCarthy wasn’t running for re-election when he came out with his Wall Street Journal op-ed,” Fong said in a January 2024 episode of Kern County In-Depth with Alex Fisher.
That was already after Fong declared re-election to the Assembly. So, Fong tried to run for Congress instead, to succeed McCarthy but, California’s Secretary of State argued a candidate can run only for one office in an election.
Fong disagreed, which led to a months-long lawsuit that Fong won. His name remained on the ballot for both CD-20 and AD-32.
Bakersfield City Councilmember Ken Weir attempted to succeed Fong this past presidential election. Kern Republicans, including Fong himself, rallied behind Weir but were unsuccessful.
Fong won both CD-20 and AD-32. So, AD-32 is vacant once again, and this 2025 special election will determine the next representative.
It’s unclear at this time if Ken Weir will run in the special. So far, Republican Stan Ellis and Democrat Dr. Chris Cruz-Boone have launched campaigns.
17’s Jenny Huh: “Are you the Kern County Republican candidate?”
Stan Ellis: “I would say so.”
Bakersfield businessman Stan Ellis is sweeping the endorsements of prominent Republicans — Congressmen Fong and David Valadao, Sheriff Donny Youngblood, District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer and supervisors Phillip Peters, Jeff Flores, David Couch and Chris Parlier.
“Number one is, we need critical infrastructure for water,” Ellis said of his priorities. “And we need clean water and sustainable water to our families and our farmers…Instead of spending $128 billion on a rail that goes nowhere, high speed rail, why aren’t we putting that money into water infrastructure that will ultimately lower the price of food for families?”
Ellis said he moved to Bakersfield in 1975 for an oil field job.
Since then, he’s gotten creative in many fields, especially science.
“We have an opportunity through supply and demand to lower gas prices,” the candidate began. “When you start lowering gas prices, you bring water in, and you get cheap water, you lower food prices…Science can help us drive commonsense, which they’re lacking in my opinion.”
His opponent Dr. Chris Cruz-Boone has a longtime background in education.
She’s the board president of the Bakersfield City School District and said she’s been teaching in Kern since 2005.
“I’m tired of folks who don’t have children, folks who have never been in a classroom, coming up with proclamations from Sacramento and sending them down,” Dr. Chris Cruz-Boone said. “In short, I’m really sick of millionaires deciding what’s best for my community.”
Cruz-Boone noted her focus is on everyday people, improving quality of education, affordability, public safety and drug prevention.
“I’m part of a lot of social media mom groups here in Kern and Tulare counties,” the candidate said. “Those moms barter formula and food so they can feed their family. I’m running for folks like that. I’m running for folks who work full-time jobs but have a side hustle just so they can afford Christmas for their kids.”
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AD-32 includes portions of Kern and Tulare counties, stretching south from Visalia to Bakersfield, and into Taft and Tehachapi.
According to the Secretary of State, 25% of registered voters here are Democrats and 48% are Republicans. If a candidate gets a majority of the votes in the February primary, there will be no general election in April.
Interested candidates must finish paperwork with Elections by Thursday, January 2nd. According to Kern Elections, Ben Dewell has also pulled papers for this race.
Tulare Elections told 17 News as of Wednesday afternoon, no one had pulled papers to run.
Click here for the full interview with Stan Ellis.
Click here for the full interview with Dr. Chris Cruz-Boone.
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