Rep. Vince Fong (R-Calif.) was sworn into the House on Monday, taking the place of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for the remainder of the term.
Fong won a special election in California’s 20th Congressional District last month against Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, handing the GOP a margin of two votes on Democrats while Republicans try to maintain their slim majority in the House.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) administered the oath of office to Fong on the House floor during Monday night’s series of votes. Members of the California delegation gathered around him.
“I am truly honored, humbled and grateful to have this opportunity from voters to serve and be a strong voice for our region,” Fong said, later thanking his family, some of whom were in the gallery for the inauguration.
Fong thanked McCarthy, whom he said has “worked tirelessly for decades” for constituents in California’s Central Valley. The legislators present in the Chamber stood up and applauded the mention of the former president.
“I know our concerns are very familiar with the current concerns you have all heard, we have to do more to find solutions and produce results,” Fong said, listing his policy priorities, including the U.S. southern border, rising costs , infrastructure, water and energy resources and employment opportunities.
He will take McCarthy’s place for the rest of his term, which runs through January, although he will run for a full two-year term in the November election.
Fong will face Boudreaux again in the fall, after both advanced from a regularly scheduled primary earlier this year. In the March primary for the full term, Fong won about 42 percent of the vote, while Bordeaux got about 26 percent, according to decision-making headquarters.
Fong, McCarthy’s protégé and former aide, has served in the California State Assembly since 2016, representing the 32nd State Assembly district in Bakersfield.
“I look forward to serving and working alongside all of you to address our nation’s challenges and ensure that the voice of the congressional district and my neighbors [that] who entrusted me are heard every day in these halls of Congress,” said Fong on the House floor. “We can meet these challenges head on and leave a better, stronger America for future generations.”
McCarthy retired from the House earlier this year, just months after he was removed from office with less than a year in the top job. McCarthy supported Fong to succeed him in the district, as did former President Trump, who described him as a “true Republican.”
California’s 20th Congressional District, which covers much of the southern and southeastern part of the state’s Central Valley, is likely to remain in Republican Party hands this fall, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report evaluating the district as “solid Republican.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
