SACRAMENTO – Tonight, California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson released the following statement in response to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber’s egregious decision to keep Republican candidate for Congressional District 20, Assemblyman Vince Fong, off of the ballot:

“In a seat that heavily favors Republicans, Sacramento Democrats have decided to deprive voters out of a complete slate of candidates by rejecting Assemblyman Fong’s legitimate candidacy, despite the fact that he was already deemed qualified by Kern County. Secretary Weber’s role should have solely included certifying the candidate list, but instead she injected politics into the process to pick and choose what candidates could go before voters. The Sacramento Democrat machine should not get to put their thumb on the scale and determine what Republican candidates who appropriately followed the law should get to run for office. Voters in California’s 20th Congressional District deserve better.”