A special election was held in the U.S. state of California to elect a new member for District 32 in the California State Assembly, representing portions of counties Kern and Tulare. A primary was held on February 25, 2025. The election filled a vacancy caused by the election of Republican assemblyman Vince Fong to the U.S. House of Representatives. The election took place concurrently with a special election in Senate District 36. The special election was called for Republican businessman Stan Ellis.
Background.
Incumbent Republican assemblyman Vince Fong, who had been serving since 2016, was re-elected to the Assembly unopposed in 2022. He ran in a special election to fill the seat of resigning U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy, winning the second round on May 21, 2024. He had already filed to run for re-election in his assembly district for the 2024 regular election, but was unable to take his name off the ballot, leaving him running in the regular elections for both the 32nd Assembly seat and the 20th U.S. House seat. On November 5, 2024, he won both elections, but chose to remain in the U.S. House, leaving his Assembly seat vacant. In September 2024, governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill to disallow candidates from running for two offices simultaneously, preventing similar issues from arising in the future. As of October 2024, the 32nd Assembly District is heavily Republican, with 151,165 registered Republican voters as opposed to 79,638 Democrats. Unlike in regular elections, candidates in special elections in California can be elected in the first round.
Candidates.
The following candidates ran for the assembly seat: