The Story:
The former Congressman for California’s 22d House District, Devin Nunes, resigned that post in December in order to run the Trump Media & Technology Group. On Tuesday, April 6, voters in that district cast their ballots for his replacement in the first round of a special election. The two highest vote-getters out of this crowded field were to face each other in a second-round primary.
Background:
This was a nonpartisan blanket primary. That is: all candidates seeking the office ran in it, regardless of their party affiliation. If any candidate had received a majority of votes, that would have ended the election. But since none did, there will be a second round vote between the top two on June 7.
The district includes the cities Fresno, Tulare, and Visalia. The area known as the Central Valley, a heavily Republican area.
The Thing to Know:
Connie Conway (R) received the highest vote count. The second place, and so the other spot in the run-off, was won by Lourin Hubbard (D). Conway was a member of the Trump administration: she served as the California Executive Director of the Farm Service Agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Hubbard works as the operations manager at the California Department of Water Resources. His website refers to recently retired incumbent Devin Nunes as a “national embarrassment.” So the battlelines for the June vote are clearly drawn.
