U.S. House, California 20th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 20th Congressional District?
Vince Fong has the strongest record in California's 20th Congressional District. Vince Fong scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Vince Fong's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Sandra Van Scotter (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Vince Fong
62 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 50
Democratic
Sandra Van Scotter
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Vince Fong
- On the record2024-04-09
A Sacramento Superior Court judge in December 2023 and a California appeals court on April 9, 2024 ruled he could appear on both the Assembly and congressional ballots, rejecting the Secretary of State's position.
Sources: Politico via Yahoo News, April 9, 2024, KBAK Bakersfield Now
- Credit2026-09-11
Sponsored H.R. 7825, excluding qualified wildfire relief payments from income, whose provisions were incorporated into H.R. 5366, signed Sept. 11, 2026.
Sandra Van Scotter
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Vince Fong. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed May 15, 2026. His one 2026 periodic transaction report was filed 17 days after the trade. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076689, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20035539, House Committee on Ethics site search for Fong, FEC administrative fines search
Sandra Van Scotter. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found. A House candidate financial disclosure was not found in the Clerk index (hand check).
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Vince Fong. Voted No on a June 2025 Republican en bloc amendment to the military construction and VA appropriations bill that Majority Leader Scalise and Whip Emmer supported; two Republicans voted No. Other documented breaks are amendment votes.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 180, 2025
Sandra Van Scotter. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Vince Fong. Took part in the televised KGET debate in the 2024 special election for the seat. No public record found of 2026 general election debates or forums, accepted or declined.
Source: KGET 17 via Yahoo News
Sandra Van Scotter. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Vince Fong. Worked as a congressional district director, served in the Assembly from 2016 to 2024 and in the House since 2024. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Office site, About, House Committee on Ethics site search for Fong
Sandra Van Scotter. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Vince Fong. Has held sworn state and federal office since 2016. He was not in Congress for the January 2021 electoral count; no misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Office site, About, Wikipedia, Vince Fong
Sandra Van Scotter. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Vince Fong. Served four terms in the California Assembly (elected 2016, re-elected 2018, 2020 and 2022) and has been in the U.S. House since 2024; earlier district director to Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
Sources: Wikipedia, Vince Fong, Ballotpedia, Vince Fong
Sandra Van Scotter. Worked for decades as a respiratory therapist and now works as a direct support professional for adults with developmental disabilities; serves on a Kern Regional Center advisory committee. Has not held public office.
Sources: Campaign site, Meet Sandra, Bakersfield Californian via Tehachapi News
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Vince Fong. Sits on the Homeland Security, Science, Space, and Technology, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees and several of their subcommittees. Holds no chair or ranking post.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Sandra Van Scotter. Publishes issue positions on health care, disability rights, veterans and water, mostly in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, Issues
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Vince Fong. Answered KGET's 2026 candidate questionnaire, offers an email newsletter and publishes issue pages: three channels (E8). Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: KGET 17, 2026 candidate questionnaire, CD-20, Office site, home page, Office site, Office Locations, Ballotpedia, Vince Fong
Sandra Van Scotter. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026, publishes issue pages and runs a campaign newsletter.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Sandra Van Scotter, Campaign site, Issues, Campaign site, home page, KGET 17, 2026 candidate questionnaire, CD-20
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Vince Fong. Born in Bakersfield, where his office says he lives, and represented Kern County in the Assembly. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 78 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Vince Fong, Office site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Sandra Van Scotter. Has lived in Ridgecrest since 2014 and in California for about 10 years. FEC by-state totals show all $1,810 of her itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Bakersfield Californian via Tehachapi News, Campaign site, Meet Sandra, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Vince Fong. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Sandra Van Scotter. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Vince Fong. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.198 for his partial 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.190, below expectations. Raised to 2 under E14: his wildfire tax relief bill, H.R. 7825, was incorporated into H.R. 5366, signed Sept. 11, 2026.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 7825 (119th Congress)
Sandra Van Scotter. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Vince Fong. Missed 25 of 960 roll call votes, 2.6 percent, from June 2024 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Sandra Van Scotter. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Vince Fong. Lists district offices in Bakersfield and Clovis and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Office Locations, Office site, home page
Sandra Van Scotter. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Vince Fong. No public record found.
Sandra Van Scotter. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Vince Fong. No public record found.
Sandra Van Scotter. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in California's 20th Congressional District?
Vince Fong has the strongest record in California's 20th Congressional District. Vince Fong scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Vince Fong's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Sandra Van Scotter (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in California's 20th Congressional District in 2026?
Vince Fong (Republican, incumbent), Sandra Van Scotter (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Vince Fong a good candidate for Congress?
Vince Fong scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 50 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Sandra Van Scotter a good candidate for Congress?
Sandra Van Scotter has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every California race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the California 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.