Tulare's Connie Conway will run to replace Nunes in Congress
James Ward
Connie Conway, the popular Tulare County politician who served on the Board of Supervisors and represented parts of the county in the California State Assembly, announced she would run to fill out the term of Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare).
Nunes officially resigned from Congress on Jan. 3, following through on his December pledge to step down from the elected office he has held since 2002 to run a social media company owned by former President Donald Trump.
Conway is the first person from Tulare County to enter the race to replace Nunes.
“I felt compelled at the urging of many friends to jump into the race. I love where I live. Congressman Nunes’ district has been my heart and my home for a long time. I would love to be able to finish the term for the congressman with stability, with dignity, and my full focus of attention until the very last day,” Conway told GVWire.
Previously announced candidates to finish out Nunes' term include:
- Phil Arballo (D-Fresno), who lost to Nunes in 2020, announced that he would run in the special election in December.
- Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig (R), a former mayor and council member in Clovis.
- Elizabeth Heng, a Republican tech CEO who lost to Costa in 2018.
- Eric Garcia (No party preference), a disabled U.S. Marine who previously ran in the 2020 primary.
- Lourin Hubbard (D), an environmental justice and racial equity activist from Bakersfield.
Conway told GVWire she would just run for the short-term seat and not run for the newly redrawn district, which Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) announced in December he would seek. Several political forecasters predict the district will be a safe Democrat seat.
The first round of the special election will be held on April 5. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in April, a runoff election will be held on June 7, the same day as the statewide primary for the November election.
Conway served on the Tulare County Board of Supervisors from 2000 to 2008. She represented Tulare County in the California State Assembly from 2008 to 2014. In 2010, Conway was elected as the Assembly Republican Leader.
In the 2018 election, Conway dropped out of California’s 16th Senate District seat and made an unsuccessful run for the California Board of Equalization.
Her father, John Conway, also served on the Tulare County Board of Supervisors from 1981 until 1991.
In 2019, Trump appointed Conway as California's state executive director for the USDA Farm Service Agency. The job, according to a USDA press release, was responsible for implementing Trump Administration policies and running the day-to-day activities of the state FSA office. The job was a politically appointed post, so her stay was short-lived after Trump lost his 2020 re-election bid.
Conway followed in the footsteps of Nunes, who was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as California State Director for the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development section. Nunes went on to successfully run for U.S. Congress in 2002.
Candidates to replace Nunes in Congress have until Jan. 20 to file paperwork with the California Secretary of State to appear on the ballot. Nunes' term was scheduled to end in January 2023.
For the special election, registered voters will get ballots by mail, which can be returned by mail, at a voting center, or in a ballot box. Qualified unregistered voters can sign up to vote online up to 15 days before the election or in person up to Election Day. For voting information, go to https://tularecoelections.org/elections/ or call (559) 624-7300.
James Ward covers entertainment, news, sports, and lifestyles for the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register. Follow him on Twitter. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.