After nearly eight months without representation, voters in Assembly District 32 voted to send Bakersfield-area businessman Stan Ellis to Sacramento.

Ellis, R-Bakersfield, garnered 64% of the votes in Tuesday’s special election among four candidates, avoiding a runoff. Vince Fong vacated the seat in June 2024 when he won a special election to Congress.

“This victory is a clear message that our communities want common-sense leadership that puts working families and our future first. From day one, my campaign has been about fighting for less regulation, safer communities, and economic opportunity — that fight begins now,” Ellis said in a victory email Wednesday.

Preliminary results from the Secretary of State showed Chris Cruz-Boone, D-Bakersfield, with 29%; Holli Willibey, R-Frazier Park, 4.6%; and William Brown Jr., Libertarian-Visalia, with 2%.

The district includes parts of Visalia and Bakersfield, stretching across the mountain region toward the east.

Fong Congratulates His Successor

In an election anomaly, Fong remained on the ballot in November for both Assembly and Congress. He won both races, with Fong opting to remain in Congress and leaving the Assembly seat vacant — necessitating another special election.

Ellis, who also ran for the full-term 20th Congressional District primary election last year but failed to advance, thanked Fong. In turn, Fong sent a congratulatory message to the media.

“He will be a tremendous advocate for our community in Sacramento. I look forward to working with Assemblyman-elect Ellis on the critical needs of the Central Valley so our region can continue to grow and thrive,” Fong said.

In December 2023, Fong already filed to run for re-election for AD 32, qualifying on the ballot. When former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, declined to run again, Fong filed to run for Congress.

Fong’s congressional filing violated what was interpreted as the law of the time — that a candidate could only run for one position at a time on the same ballot. It was too late for Fong to remove his name from the Assembly ballot.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber fought in court to remove Fong’s name from the congressional ballot, but a judge ultimately sided with Fong. Despite encouraging voters not to vote for him for Assembly — he was the only name on the ballot — voters advanced Fong for Congress and Assembly in the March 2024 primary and in the November 2024 general election.

The state Legislature has since changed the law, allowing a candidate to withdraw their name for one position to run for another.