BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- KGET sent the candidates on the ballot for the California Assembly District 32 seat a questionnaire hoping to get answers to some basic questions — an introduction to voters in the district. We asked each candidate several questions: Name Age Hometown; City you reside in Tell us about your family. Give us a brief educational history Party registration; How long have you been registered with that party? Give us a brief career history Why are you running for this office? How long have you lived in the district? Describe your political philosophy Below are responses from the candidates on the ballot for California Assembly District 32 seat. Ken Weir Age: 70 Hometown, place of residence: Bakersfield, East Bakersfield Family: Two daughters Educational history: Garces Memorial High School, Bakersfield College AA, B.S. from CSUB, Certified Public Accountant Career history: CPA History of elected service: Bakersfield City School Board for 14 years, City of Bakersfield Councilmember for 18 years. Party registration: "Republican. Lifetime." Length of residence in the district: 30+ years Why some voters may see Vince Fong twice on their ballot Why are you running for this office?: "I’m honored to have received over 12,000 write -in votes to run for State Assembly due to Vince Fong seeking the congressional seat -- which he won. Having been a CPA all my life working on thousands of tax returns I know how difficult and punitive the tax code is. The California Legislature punished hard work by raising taxes, either on our employers who fund the jobs most people have or directly on the people. The gas tax is one example of an outrageous higher tax than 98% of the other states. I hope to bring my expertise on taxes as well as many years on the school board to issues facing the Legislature. I also have respect for our agriculture and petroleum industries and I want to fight for them in terms of water and drilling rights." Political philosophy: "My philosophy is to help bring back to California a society where people can climb as high as they want on the ladder to success. While that may sound a bit corny, today there are more incentives to do little, to stay home with welfare payments rather than encourage occupational training, higher education programs, and incentives to employers to hire the unemployed or those who want to move up in their career. The more individual freedoms we have the farther in life we can go. Sacramento wants to dominate our lives with all kinds of dreamed-up concoction of ideas that make no sense in today’s world. Further, I want to see incentives to our elementary schools to work harder towards improving reading and math scores and less focus on themes that divide us as a people." Vince Fong Vince Fong is the current Representative of the 20th Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He has repeatedly said he is not running for Assembly, but running for Congress. Age: 44 Hometown, place of residence: Downtown Bakersfield Family: Married to Amanda Educational history: Bachelor’s degree from UCLA, master’s degree from Princeton Career history: "I served in the California Assembly as the Vice Chair of the Transportation and Budget and Port and Supply Chain Committees. Prior to holding elected office I worked for Congressman Kevin McCarthy as his district director and for Congressman Bill Thomas." History of elected office: California State Assembly, 2016-2024; United States Congress, 2024-present. Party registration: "I am a lifelong Republican." Length of residence in the district: "I was born and raised in Bakersfield, and I have lived here my entire life, other than college." A closer look at Kern’s 2024 primary candidates: 1-on-1 with AD 32 hopeful Ken Weir Political philosophy: "I am a conservative Republican with a proven track record. While serving in the State Assembly, I stood up to the liberal politicians in Sacramento that have put a target on Kern County’s back. I led the charge against the gas tax increase, I have been a vocal opponent of Sacramento’s misguided pro-criminal reforms, I have held the line against Newsom’s oil and gas shutdowns, and I have brought millions of dollars in resources to the Central Valley for water infrastructure, valley fever research, and support for our distressed hospitals. I have proven experience fighting for the Central Valley and have continued to do so in Washington D.C. I have a track record of fighting for the residents of the Central Valley on the key issues that people care about. I have consistently delivered results while representing communities in the Central Valley." Additional comments: "The Central Valley feeds and fuels the nation. Water and energy policies majorly impact our leading local industries, and our community needs representation willing to stand up for those jobs and businesses. I am a strong advocate for expanding our local water storage and infrastructure. The Central Valley is highly regarded as the world’s most productive agricultural region because historically, we have been able to provide abundant, affordable water to irrigate millions of acres of farmland. Now, environmental extremists have forced more water out to our ocean than to the farmers who put food on our tables. This is not right. We urgently need to invest in water infrastructure. Federal infrastructure resources are particularly important for finally bringing new water storage and conveyance projects online. I am also a strong supporter of our local oil and gas industry and have spent years working with oil and gas producers here in the Central Valley to unlock the energy potential of our region and lead the way towards national energy independence. Federal and state bureaucrats and politicians need to stop demonizing the hard-working men and women that produce reliable and affordable energy that we all use every single day. To lower gas prices and achieve energy independence, we should approve the thousands of permits for more domestic production that are sitting collecting dust. Reducing dependence on foreign energy sources will enhance America's safety and bolster economic strength."