Assemblymember Vince Fong speaks on judge's ruling allowing him to run for 2 positions

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's been a political rollercoaster for Assemblymember Vince Fong, who wants to run to replace Kevin McCarthy in Congress.

First, the Secretary of State decided he could not run for the 20th Congressional District seat because he had already filed to run for re-election to his current seat in the assembly.

State election law prohibits having a candidate on a ballot for two positions.

He challenged that ruling, and a judge ruled in favor of Fong last week.

But the Secretary of State's office has said they would appeal that ruling.

"Well, there's no appeal that anyone has seen, so at this point in time, our name is on the certified list of candidates. Ballots are going to be printed very soon," said Fong.

The date of the election is also still up in the air.

The Governor has until the end of next week to pick the date for the special election.

Making matters even more complicated, California also has a primary election on March 5th.

While these questions still linger, Fong isn't wasting any time hitting the campaign trail.

"We are running for Congress. I'm going to go to every single community throughout the Twentieth Congressional District and earn everyone's support," Fong mentioned.

Fong, who serves on several committees in the state house, says he is passionate about laws against criminals, securing the southern border, drug and human trafficking and economic issues.

He filed to run for the 20th Congressional District after former Speaker McCarthy announced his resignation last month and also received McCarthy's endorsement.

Since then, several other Republican candidates have thrown their names into the race, including Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and David Giglio.

Giglio has been leading the charge to keep Fong off the ballot.

"Well, we expect in the credit field, and every one certainly is entitled to run, and that, of course, is the crux of our legal argument. The voters should be, should have a choice, a real choice amongst everyone who feels is qualified and meets the eligibility requirements to run for Congress," explains Fong.

In addition to McCarthy's endorsement, Fong also has support from the Fresno County District Attorney, along with the mayor of Clovis.

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