Republican Connie Conway sworn into Congress after winning race for Devin Nunes’ open seat
Voters in California’s 22nd Congressional District picked Republican Connie Conway to serve the remainder of former Rep. Devin Nunes’ term in California’s primary election on June 7.
She was sworn into the United States House of Representatives on June 14.
“My constituents, the great people of California’s 22nd district, are facing water shortages, rising inflation and many other trials — not of their own making. Their pain is my pain. Their concerns are my concerns. I stand shoulder to shoulder with them,” Conway said after she was sworn in on the U.S. House floor.
Nunes, who represented the area stretching from Fresno and Clovis to his hometown of Tulare for nearly two decades, resigned in January to head former President Donald Trump’s social media company.
Conway, a former member of the California State Assembly, beat Democrat Lourin Hubbard for what is less than a seven-month term.
“I thank the Valley’s voters for placing your trust in me to represent you in Congress,” Conway said in a statement following her victory. “I’ve listened closely to your concerns, and I assure you that I will give you a strong, unwavering voice in Washington that will stand up for you, your beliefs, and your interests.”
The Associated Press called the race for Conway at 10:03 p.m. Pacific Time on election night.
Conway had 61.9% of the votes as of 11:55 a.m. on June 14. Hubbard had 38.1%. The AP estimated that 77% of votes had been counted.
The historically-Republican district — and Conway’s job — will disappear when new maps, drawn through redistricting, become effective for the next Congress on Jan. 3, 2023.
Conway, 71, and Hubbard, 33, had advanced to Tuesday’s runoff after a special election in April. Both candidates stressed water and agricultural issues as top priorities in interviews with The Bee.
Hubbard, a Bakersfield native, is a water resources manager who previously worked for the Fresno County Department of Social Services.
Conway was the Republican Leader in the Assembly from December 2010 until November 2014.
“As the Assembly Republican Leader, Connie has a demonstrable record of fighting for her constituents and standing up to Sacramento’s Democrat-led government overreach,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, said in a statement after she was sworn in. “Here in Congress, she will be a stalwart defender against the radical policies pushed by House Democrats and President Biden’s administration.”
In 2019, under former President Donald Trump, Conway was appointed to be the California Executive Director of the Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. In that role, she allocated more than $100 million in safety net and disaster relief programs for farmers, ranchers, foresters and agricultural producers, according to her office.
Conway served as a Tulare County Supervisor for the eight years prior to joining the Assembly in 2008.
“As a daughter of the Central Valley and a life-long fighter for our values, it is my duty to ensure that our voices are heard in Congress,” she said after being sworn in.
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Republican Connie Conway sworn into Congress after winning race for Devin Nunes’ open seat."
