Stan Ellis has declared outright victory in the Tuesday special election for the former Assembly seat of Rep. Vince Fong. Photo via Stan Ellis campaign

Stan Ellis, running for the District 32 Assembly seat formerly held by Rep. Vince Fong, has declared outright victory in the special primary race for the vacated seat.

Ellis secured victory earning more than 63% of the vote, well above the required 50% +1 required to win outright, according to a news release from his campaign. Votes are still being counted for the primary held in Tulare and Kern counties. But as of Wednesday morning, Ellis, a Republican, held a commanding lead over Democratic candidate Chris Cruz-Boone, who trailed Ellis by more than 17,000 votes.

“I am truly honored and humbled by the overwhelming support,” Ellis wrote in a statement. “This victory is a clear message that our communities want common-sense leadership that puts working families and our future first.”

The vacant seat opened in December 2023 when then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced his resignation. The seat was ultimately filled by Fong.

“A special thank you to my friend, Congressman Vince Fong, for his years of dedicated service to our district,” Ellis wrote. “He has set a strong foundation, and I look forward to building upon his work to ensure the Central Valley continues to thrive.”

The 32nd Assembly District makes up portions of Kern and Tulare counties, including parts of Bakersfield and Visalia.

Ellis is a farmer, local businessman and community member who grew up on a hog farm in South Dakota, putting himself through college at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, according to his campaign bio. He settled in Kern County, starting several small businesses in the oil, ag, chemical and reclamation industries. 

His bio includes work experience in quantum physics, including founding his own lab. He also developed a radiation device that mutates RNA, “killing any virus with a 99.9% destruction efficiency,” which is expected to enter the market.

The company he co-founded, Vista-based Qubitekk, Inc., bills itself as a “quantum networking company” with applications for infrastructure, defense, finance and energy.

Qubitekk announced the completion of a deal in January for most of its assets to be acquired by IonQ, a quantum computing firm in Maryland.