WASHINGTON (AP) — The first step toward filling the seat vacated by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy kicks off Tuesday with a special primary in California’s 20th Congressional District. McCarthy announced his resignation in December, two months after hard-right members of his conference successfully engineered his ouster. McCarthy’s brief tenure as speaker was marked by infighting and gridlock. McCarthy had represented the Central Valley-based seat in one of the state’s few reliably red districts since 2007. There are four Republican candidates running, including front-runners state Assemblyman Vince Fong and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux. Democrats have lined up behind Marisa Wood, who advanced to the general election against McCarthy in 2022 but finished behind two Republicans.
