"California Governor Sets Date for Special Election to Fill Kevin McCarthy's House Seat"

California Governor Gavin Newsom has set a mid-March special election date to fill the US House seat vacated by former speaker Kevin McCarthy in the solidly Republican 20th congressional district anchored in Bakersfield. If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, a May matchup will determine the winner. McCarthy's departure has triggered a scramble to replace him, with a court ruling allowing a McCarthy protege, Republican assemblyman Vince Fong, to appear on the ballot despite filing for re-election for his assembly seat.