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

✓ Fact-checked 2026-09-25: 16 claims re-checked against their sources

A second, independent research pass re-opened every cited source for this race and corrected or removed anything the source didn’t support.

On the ballot · 2 candidates

Where they stand — side by side

Only positions documented in a cited source are shown. Where an officeholder’s recorded votes speak to an issue, the votes set the position (marked “votes”). A dash means we found no clear public position — not that the candidate has none.

ISSUEVince Fong
R
Sandra Van Scotter
D
Expand immigration enforcement and deportationsSupports[8][9][10][11]votes—
Loosen zoning rules to build more housingSupports[5]—
Raise taxes on high earners or corporationsOpposes[9][10][11]votes—
Expand public health coverageOpposes[9][10][11][12]votesSupports[3]
Faster transition away from fossil fuelsOpposes[9][10][11]votes—
Broad tariffs on imported goodsSupports[13]votes—

The candidates, in full

Vince Fong

RINCUMBENTU.S. Representative for California's 20th District (since June 2024, elected in a special election)

Vince Fong is the incumbent Republican U.S. Representative for California's 20th District, elected in a May 2024 special election to succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy after also serving in the California State Assembly.[2]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Key votes in Congress

  • NoWar Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities · H. Con. Res. 86 · Passed 215–208 · 2026-06-03 roll call ↗The resolution directs the President to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran that Congress has not authorized, invoking the War Powers Resolution. It passed the House with support from Democrats and a number of Republicans.
  • NoResolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · H.J. Res. 72 · Passed 219–211 · 2026-02-11 roll call ↗The resolution terminates the national emergency the President declared in February 2025 to justify a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada, ending that tariff if it becomes law. It passed with a bipartisan majority, including several Republicans who broke with the administration on trade policy.
  • YesConsolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 — full-year government funding · H.R. 7148 · Passed 217–214 · 2026-02-03 roll call ↗The bill provides full-year discretionary appropriations for federal agencies for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, replacing the stopgap funding enacted after the fall 2025 shutdown. It sets spending levels across defense and non-defense programs through September 2026.
  • NoBreaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · H.R. 1834 · Passed 230–196 · 2026-01-08 roll call ↗The bill extends for additional years the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that were expanded in 2021 and had lapsed at the end of 2025, lowering health-insurance premiums for people who buy coverage on ACA marketplaces. It passed with support from nearly all Democrats and a small group of Republicans.
  • NoWar Powers Resolution on Venezuela · H. Con. Res. 64 · Failed 211–213 · 2025-12-17 roll call ↗The resolution would have directed the President to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities in or against Venezuela that Congress had not authorized. It failed after U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels off Venezuela had raised questions in Congress about the administration's legal authority for military action in the region.
  • YesNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 — final passage · S. 1071 · Passed 312–112 · 2025-12-10 roll call ↗The fiscal year 2026 NDAA authorizes roughly $900 billion in defense spending, including a pay raise for service members and funding for shipbuilding, munitions, and missile-defense programs. It also sets policy on military personnel, procurement, and other Defense Department programs for the year.
  • YesEpstein Files Transparency Act · H.R. 4405 · Passed 427–1 · 2025-11-18 roll call ↗The bill directs the Department of Justice to publicly release its investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days, while allowing redactions to protect victim identities, ongoing investigations, and law enforcement techniques. It passed with near-unanimous support.
  • YesContinuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 — shutdown-ending vote · H.R. 5371 · Passed 222–209 · 2025-11-12 roll call ↗The bill reopened the federal government after a 43-day shutdown by funding most agencies through January 30, 2026, and providing full-year funding for a smaller group of agencies through September 2026. It also reversed shutdown-related federal layoffs and funded SNAP benefits retroactively.
  • YesCLARITY Act — digital asset market structure · H.R. 3633 · Passed 294–134 · 2025-07-17 roll call ↗The CLARITY Act creates a regulatory framework dividing oversight of digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. It sets registration and disclosure requirements for cryptocurrency exchanges and other digital-asset intermediaries.
  • YesGENIUS Act — stablecoin regulation · S. 1582 · Passed 308–122 · 2025-07-17 roll call ↗The GENIUS Act creates a federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins, requiring issuers to hold reserves backing their tokens on a one-to-one basis and to comply with new disclosure and licensing rules. It was the first major piece of cryptocurrency legislation enacted into federal law.
  • YesOne Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passage · H.R. 1 · Passed 218–214 · 2025-07-03 roll call ↗H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, extends and expands the 2017 tax cuts, adds new deductions for tips, overtime pay, and seniors, and raises the cap on state and local tax deductions. It increases border security and defense spending while cutting projected Medicaid and SNAP spending and adding new work requirements; President Trump signed it into law on July 4, 2025.
  • YesRescissions Act of 2025 · H.R. 4 · Passed 214–212 · 2025-06-12 roll call ↗The Rescissions Act canceled about $9 billion in previously approved federal spending, mostly for foreign aid programs and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It was the first rescissions package Congress had approved in decades.
  • YesOne Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passage · H.R. 1 · Passed 215–214 · 2025-05-22 roll call ↗H.R. 1 extends and modifies the 2017 individual and business tax cuts, creates new deductions for tips and overtime pay, and increases spending on border security and defense. It also reduces projected spending on Medicaid and food-assistance programs and adds new work requirements for some recipients.
  • YesSAVE Act — proof-of-citizenship voter registration · H.R. 22 · Passed 220–208 · 2025-04-10 roll call ↗The SAVE Act would require individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person when registering to vote in federal elections. It also directs states to establish procedures to remove noncitizens identified on voter rolls.
  • YesFull-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 · H.R. 1968 · Passed 217–213 · 2025-03-11 roll call ↗The bill funded the federal government through the remainder of fiscal year 2025, largely at prior-year spending levels, averting a shutdown ahead of a March 14 deadline. It also extended several expiring health and other program authorizations.
  • YesLaken Riley Act — final passage · S. 5 · Passed 263–156 · 2025-01-22 roll call ↗The Laken Riley Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants who are arrested, charged, or convicted for theft, burglary, or certain violent crimes. It also allows state attorneys general to sue the federal government over certain immigration enforcement decisions.

On the record — official actions

  • actionServes on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Highways and Transit; Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials; Water Resources and Environment subcommittees) and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in the 119th Congress.[2]
  • bill2026-09-15 · Introduced H.J. Res. 210, a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the EPA's authorization of California's Air Resources Board At-Berth Regulation; the House passed it.[7]

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsLoosen zoning rules to build more housing

    Supports cutting regulatory barriers and streamlining permitting to expand housing supply.[5]

    “Building more houses, cutting red tape, empowering local and rural lenders, and modernizing outdated federal programs is exactly how we lower costs and make housing more affordable.”
  • OpposesRaise taxes on high earners or corporationsFrom recorded votes

    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.[9][10][11]

    What they say: Supported making the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent rather than allowing its rates to expire, describing the expiration as the largest tax increase in American history.[6]

    “This legislation delivers for the Central Valley by preventing the largest tax increase in American history, supporting our farmers and small businesses, and ensuring the sustainability of our government's fiscal future.”
  • SupportsExpand immigration enforcement and deportationsFrom recorded votes

    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.[8][9][10][11]

  • OpposesExpand public health coverageFrom recorded votes

    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).[9][10][11][12]

  • OpposesFaster transition away from fossil fuelsFrom recorded votes

    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.[9][10][11]

  • SupportsBroad tariffs on imported goodsFrom recorded votes

    Voted no on Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada (H.J. Res. 72, 2026-02-11).[13]

In their words — priorities

  • Lists restoring California's oil and gas production and cutting energy regulation as a priority, describing it as key to lowering costs and strengthening national security.[4]
  • Lists cutting regulatory barriers to housing construction and expanding housing supply as a priority for lowering home prices in the Central Valley.[5]

Background

  • Born in Bakersfield, California, in 1979; earned a bachelor's degree in political science and government from UCLA in 2001 and an M.P.A. from Princeton University in 2003.[2]
  • Worked as district director for then-U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy and as a district representative for former U.S. Rep. Bill Thomas before serving in the California State Assembly.[2]

Campaign money

Raised $1.8M · spent $1.4M · $454K cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Sandra Van Scotter

D

Advanced from the June 2 top-two primary with 28.8% of the vote

Sandra Van Scotter is a Democratic candidate for California's 20th District running on a single-payer healthcare platform.[3]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand public health coverage

    Supports Medicare for All, describing commercial health insurance as treating premiums as a 'bottomless cup' of profit.[3]

    “Medicare For All is the answer to getting our Health Care System on track.”

In their words — priorities

  • Supports Medicare for All, citing S. 1560 (introduced April 2025) as a model for transitioning over four years from the current commercial-insurance system to a single-payer option.[3]
  • Says she would prioritize collaborating with state, county, and local officials on agriculture, water, and housing-affordability issues affecting the district.[3]
  • Says she is passionate about streamlining access to Veterans Disability Benefits, Social Security Disability Benefits, and Developmental Disability benefits.[3]

Campaign money

Raised $17K · spent $17K · $-2,017 cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

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.

Sources · 13

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

  1. 1.United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
  2. 2.Vince Fong · Ballotpedia Reference
  3. 3.Sandra Van Scotter — Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words
  4. 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. 5.Fong Votes to Lower Housing Costs · Office of Rep. Vince Fong · 2026-05-20 Candidate's own words
  6. 6.Congressman Fong Votes to Pass "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," Delivering Historic Tax Relief for California's 20th District · Office of Rep. Vince Fong · 2025-07-03 Candidate's own words
  7. 7.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
  8. 8.Roll call: Laken Riley Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-01-22 Official record
  9. 9.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-05-22 Official record
  10. 10.H.R. 1 (119th Congress) — One Big Beautiful Bill Act: text and summary · Congress.gov Official record
  11. 11.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-07-03 Official record
  12. 12.Roll call: Breaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-01-08 Official record
  13. 13.Roll call: Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-02-11 Official record