Conway, Hubbard Head to Runoff for Nunes’ Congressional Seat – GV Wire
A runoff seems obvious for a vacant Central Valley congressional seat between a familiar political name and a newcomer.
As results pour in from Fresno and Tulare counties for the 22nd congressional district seat, Connie Conway, R-Tulare, and Lourin Hubbard, D-Fresno, are in position for a general election on June 7.
Results as of 11 p.m. Tuesday night show Conway with 34.8% of the vote, with Hubbard second with 19.7%, based on 63,726 votes – which includes all of the day’s electoral districts for Fresno counties and Tulare. The two county clerks say no further updates are expected for the evening.
There is still one unknown postal vote and provisional ballots.
With the apparent absence of a majority candidate, the top two will move on.
“I look forward to the hard work it will take between now and June. I appreciate all the people who supported me. I will seek more supporters to succeed,” Conway, a former minority leader in the state Assembly, said from a friend’s home in Tulare.
Hubbard, a state water manager, is ready to “shock the nation”.
“What happened tonight…isn’t supposed to happen, especially in this neighborhood. That a working-class black man is not supposed to shock the state. But that’s exactly what I did – what we did,” Hubbard said from his home after a night watch with supporters in Fresno.
Navy veteran and businessman Matt Stoll, R-Visalia, is in third place, behind Hubbard by less than 3,000 votes, which translates to 4.6%.
While the results could still change, it would take a mathematical anomaly for Conway to gain a majority or fall to third place.
Updated results
| Fresno County | Tulare County | Total | ||||
| Candidate | Voting | % | Voting | % | Voting | % |
| Connie Conway (right) | 11,005 | 27.6% | 11,170 | 47.0% | 22,175 | 34.8% |
| Lourin Hubbard (D) | 9,049 | 22.7% | 3,497 | 14.7% | 12,546 | 19.7% |
| Matt StollR | 6,135 | 15.4% | 3,512 | 14.8% | 9,647 | 15.1% |
| Eric Garcia (D) | 5,768 | 14.4% | 3,806 | 16.0% | 9,574 | 15.0% |
| Michael Maher (R) | 4,415 | 11.1% | 1,250 | 5.3% | 5,665 | 8.9% |
| Elizabeth Heng (R) | 3,572 | 8.9% | 547 | 2.3% | 4,119 | 6.5% |
| TOTAL | 39,944 | 23,782 | 63,726 | |||
As of 05/04/22, 11 p.m.
Six ran in the special election
Polls closed at 8 p.m. in the 22nd congressional district with six candidates vying to represent the Central Valley in Washington DC
Four Republicans and two Democrats were running for the House seat vacated by Devin Nunes, R-Tulare. Nunes stepped down Jan. 1 to become CEO of former President Donald Trump’s social media company.
Even with a redistricting, only voters under the “old” CD 22 border — which covers parts of Fresno and Tulare counties — are eligible to vote. If no candidate obtains more than 50% of the vote, the first two will qualify for a second round on June 7.
Conway expected a second round.
“With six candidates, it seems like a really big ask to hit 50% plus one,” Conway said. “It doesn’t look like we’re going to get there.”
Neither Conway nor Hubbard are running for a term seat.
Three other candidates from Tuesday evening will stand again in the June 7 ballot.
Stoll, Eric Garcia, D-Clovis and Michael Maher, R-Kingsburg run in the 21st congressional district — which includes most of the city of Fresno and parts of Fresno and Tulare counties.
There will be some overlap of the current and newly redistricted 22nd congressional district in the June 7 ballot. Voters in most of Tulare City and surrounding Tulare County will see two different lists of candidates under the same banner.
Conway and Hubbard will likely appear in one, the short term seat; Representative David Valadao, R-Hanford, Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield and two others are running for the new term CD 22 seat.
The purple line is the northern edge of redistricted 22 Congressional District; the red line is the southern border of the current CD 22. The middle area is the overlap where voters on June 7 will vote for two separate CD 22 elections.
When will the winner be sworn in?
A candidate could have been sworn in before April 14, but that does not appear to be the case.
“The Clerk’s Office must first receive a letter from the Secretary of State or appropriate election official stating that, according to the unofficial results, there is an elected member. Once this letter is received by the Clerk and filed with the House, the elected member can be sworn in as a member of Congress. There is no specific date for the swearing in,” the House Clerk’s office said.
Although polling stations closed at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, the last day for absentee ballots to be received by the electoral office is April 12 – as long as they are postmarked by April 5. The last day for voters to remedy a mismatched or missing signature on a ballot is April 12.
The two clerks have until April 14 to certify the results to the Secretary of State. Fresno County Clerk James Kus says he’s likely to certify on that date and not before.
The winner will serve until January 3, 2023, when the term expires.
Participation estimates
Traditionally, turnout in special elections has been low.
The district has 415,021 registered voters – 257,752 in Fresno County and 156,269 in Tulare County.
Through Monday, Fresno County received 40,657 ballots, either by mail or drop box. Tulare County received 23,727 by mail.