Bakersfield

California’s chief elections officer said late Friday that Bakersfield Republican Vince Fong cannot appear on the ballot for a Central Valley congressional seat because he is already running for reelection to the state Assembly — a decision the state lawmaker vowed to challenge in court.When Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) this month announced his retirement, Fong, 44, said he would stay in his job in the 32nd Assembly District and would not run for Congress. Days later, Fong changed his mind and filed paperwork to…

BAKERSFIELD —  Before a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict former President Trump in connection with an alleged hush-money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters how he thought the American people viewed the case. “I think in your heart of hearts you know, too, that you think this is just political,” McCarthy said during a March 21 news conference. “And I think that’s what the rest of the country thinks, and we’re kind of tired of that.”But back home in McCarthy’s…