U.S. House · California's 20th Congressional District

Kern County, including most of Bakersfield, and parts of Tulare and Kings counties in the southern San Joaquin Valley.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

RESULT · UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CERTIFIED

Vince Fong, projected winner

Candidate	Votes	Share
Vince Fong	104,338	61.9%
Sandra Van Scotter	64,310	38.1%

About 58% of the expected vote counted. As of November 9. Winners take office next year. Counts can change until states certify. NBC News ↗

Sources re-checked September 25, 2026 · How we research

California redrew its congressional district lines for the 2026 elections under Proposition 50, a mid-decade redistricting measure voters approved in a November 2025 special election.[1]
In the June 2, 2026 top-two primary, Vince Fong won 68.2% of the vote (115,035 votes) and Sandra Van Scotter won 28.8% (48,611 votes), advancing them both to the November general election.[2]

On the November 3 ballot · 2 candidates

Vince FongRINCUMBENTPROJECTED WINNERU.S. Representative for California's 20th District (since June 2024, elected in a special election)Full profile →Sandra Van ScotterDFull profile →

Issue evidence — side by side

Recorded votes, documented positions and candidates’ own words are shown with sources. “In their own words” quotes a candidate on the topic without inferring a stance. Votes describe specific bills or motions; they do not establish overall support or opposition to a broad issue. A dash means our research has no evidence on that topic, not that the candidate has no position.

Stricter gun laws

Vince Fong
Opposes[12]
Cosponsored H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (119th Congress), which would require states to honor other states' concealed-carry permits.
Sandra Van Scotter
—

Expand immigration enforcement and deportations

Vince Fong
Recorded votes[13][14][15][16]
Voted yes on Laken Riley Act (S. 5, 2025-01-22). Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which funded expanded immigration enforcement, detention and border operations.
Sandra Van Scotter
—

Loosen zoning rules to build more housing

Vince Fong
Supports[5]
Supports cutting regulatory barriers and streamlining permitting to expand housing supply.
Sandra Van Scotter
—

Raise taxes on high earners or corporations

Vince Fong
Recorded votes[14][15][16]
Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which made the 2017 individual tax rates, including the 37% top rate, permanent.
Sandra Van Scotter
—

Expand public health coverage

Vince Fong
Recorded votes[14][15][16][18]
Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which reduced federal Medicaid spending and added Medicaid work requirements. Voted no on Breaking the Gridlock Act (H.R. 1834, 2026-01-08), which extended enhanced ACA premium subsidies.
Sandra Van Scotter
Supports[3]
Supports Medicare for All, describing commercial health insurance as treating premiums as a 'bottomless cup' of profit.

Faster transition away from fossil fuels

Vince Fong
Recorded votes[14][15][16]
Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which phased out Inflation Reduction Act clean-energy tax credits.
Sandra Van Scotter
—

Broad tariffs on imported goods

Vince Fong
Recorded votes[21]
Voted no on Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada (H.J. Res. 72, 2026-02-11), which disapproved the tariffs on Canadian imports.
Sandra Van Scotter
—

Require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote

Vince Fong
Recorded votes[17]
Voted yes on SAVE Act (H.R. 22, 2025-04-10).
Sandra Van Scotter
—

Require Congress to approve U.S. military action abroad

Vince Fong
Recorded votes[19][20]
Voted no on War Powers Resolution on Venezuela (H. Con. Res. 64, 2025-12-17), which would have directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Venezuela absent congressional authorization. Voted no on War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities (H. Con. Res. 86, 2026-06-03), which directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran absent congressional authorization.
Sandra Van Scotter
—

ISSUE	Vince Fong R	Sandra Van Scotter D
Stricter gun laws	Opposes[12] Cosponsored H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (119th Congress), which would require states to honor other states' concealed-carry permits.	—
Expand immigration enforcement and deportations	Recorded votes[13][14][15][16] Voted yes on Laken Riley Act (S. 5, 2025-01-22). Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which funded expanded immigration enforcement, detention and border operations.	—
Loosen zoning rules to build more housing	Supports[5] Supports cutting regulatory barriers and streamlining permitting to expand housing supply.	—
Raise taxes on high earners or corporations	Recorded votes[14][15][16] Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which made the 2017 individual tax rates, including the 37% top rate, permanent.	—
Expand public health coverage	Recorded votes[14][15][16][18] Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which reduced federal Medicaid spending and added Medicaid work requirements. Voted no on Breaking the Gridlock Act (H.R. 1834, 2026-01-08), which extended enhanced ACA premium subsidies.	Supports[3] Supports Medicare for All, describing commercial health insurance as treating premiums as a 'bottomless cup' of profit.
Faster transition away from fossil fuels	Recorded votes[14][15][16] Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which phased out Inflation Reduction Act clean-energy tax credits.	—
Broad tariffs on imported goods	Recorded votes[21] Voted no on Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada (H.J. Res. 72, 2026-02-11), which disapproved the tariffs on Canadian imports.	—
Require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote	Recorded votes[17] Voted yes on SAVE Act (H.R. 22, 2025-04-10).	—
Require Congress to approve U.S. military action abroad	Recorded votes[19][20] Voted no on War Powers Resolution on Venezuela (H. Con. Res. 64, 2025-12-17), which would have directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Venezuela absent congressional authorization. Voted no on War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities (H. Con. Res. 86, 2026-06-03), which directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran absent congressional authorization.	—

Research notes & limits

Vince Fong has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey; positions and priorities above are drawn from his official House press releases (fong.house.gov), checked 2026-09-25, since his issues pages (Economy, Energy, Health, Congress) contain no position text. No independent biography was found for Sandra Van Scotter beyond her Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey answers and campaign-finance filings; researchDepth is basic given the limited public record. Federal key votes and FEC totals for the incumbent are added separately by script. Biographies were expanded in October 2026; no birthplace, education or family details were found for Sandra Van Scotter beyond her BallotReady work history and local news, so her biography is short.

Sources · 26

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

1.United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
2.Vince Fong · Ballotpedia Reference
3.Sandra Van Scotter — Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words
4.Congressman Fong Applauds Bureau of Land Management for effort to reopen oil and gas leasing in Central California · Office of Rep. Vince Fong · 2025-06-24 Candidate's own words
5.Fong Votes to Lower Housing Costs · Office of Rep. Vince Fong · 2026-05-20 Candidate's own words
6.Fong Legislation to End California's Hidden Tax Raising Costs on Americans Passes House · Office of Rep. Vince Fong · 2026-09-15 Candidate's own words
7.Vince Fong · Ballotpedia Reference
8.About | Congressman Vince Fong · Office of Rep. Vince Fong Official record
9.Vince Fong · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
10.Committees and Caucuses | Congressman Vince Fong · Office of Rep. Vince Fong Official record
11.California 20th election results 2026 · NBC News News report
12.H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025) — sponsors and cosponsors · Congress.gov Official record
13.Roll call: Laken Riley Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-01-22 Official record
14.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-05-22 Official record
15.H.R. 1 (119th Congress) — One Big Beautiful Bill Act: text and summary · Congress.gov Official record
16.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-07-03 Official record
17.Roll call: SAVE Act — proof-of-citizenship voter registration · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-04-10 Official record
18.Roll call: Breaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-01-08 Official record
19.Roll call: War Powers Resolution on Venezuela · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-12-17 Official record
20.Roll call: War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-06-03 Official record
21.Roll call: Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-02-11 Official record
22.Sandra Van Scotter — Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words
23.Sandra Van Scotter · BallotReady Reference
24.Sandra Van Scotter offers campaign update · The Loop Newspaper (Tehachapi) News report
25.Sandra Van Scotter endorsed by Tehachapi Mountain Democratic Club · The Loop Newspaper (Tehachapi) News report
26.U.S. House · California's 20th Congressional District results 2026 · NBC News News report