A California Republican won a seat he didn’t want. Now taxpayers are paying for a new election

Taxpayers in two California counties are on the hook for a special election after Republican Vince Fong won his Congressional seat along with an Assembly seat he no longer wanted. Since Fong “won” his Assembly race, Kern and Tulare County taxpayers in Assembly District 32 will end up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a special election. The conundrum led to a new law signed in September that prevents a candidate from appearing on the same ballot for simultaneous races. The legislation came in response to judges telling California election officials that Fong had to stay on the ballot for both races.