Associated Press
A California legislator backed by former President Donald Trump and a sheriff who promises to harden the nation’s porous borders are facing off in a special U.S. House election to complete the remaining term of deposed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which runs through January. State Assembly member Vince Fong, a onetime McCarthy aide who also has his endorsement, and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, both Republicans, are among a cluster of candidates in the solidly conservative district hoping to fill the seat the speaker left vacant when he resigned last year. Because of Trump’s involvement, the race will be watched as a possible proxy vote on the former president’s clout as he heads toward an all-but-certain matchup against President Joe Biden in November.