BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- As some Kern and Tulare County voters are set to face the special election for the 32nd Assembly District in 2025, the candidate pool is growing, as is the tension. This special election resulted as former state Assemblyman Vince Fong became Congressman Fong, leaving the AD-32 seat vacant. Here is a quick recap. Fong ran for Congress to succeed former House speaker Kevin McCarthy once he resigned. Due to the fact this was already after Fong declared re-election to the Assembly, he ended up facing a months-long lawsuit with California's Secretary of State to determine for which office he would run. He won the lawsuit. His name remained on the ballot for both Congress and AD-32. Fong won both races; so, AD-32 is vacant. So far, Republican Bakersfield businessman Stan Ellis is the only sworn-in candidate. Reward increased to $30k for information on Cesar Hernandez Democrat and board president of the Bakersfield City School District Dr. Chris Cruz-Boone has launched her campaign. No official endorsement yet by the Kern GOP, but Kern County Democrats are behind Cruz-Boone. As of Friday morning, two more Kern candidates have pulled paperwork as well -- Holli Willibey and Ben Dewell. Dewell has previously run unsuccessfully for Congress and county supervisor. In Tulare, William Brown has pulled papers. Already, we're seeing candidate drama. In her campaign announcement video on YouTube, Willibey directly referenced Cruz-Boone. "My opponent Chris Cruz-Boone contacts me the other day and asks me to drop out of the race in a roundabout way… and I was like 'what is wrong with you?'," the potential candidate said. Cruz-Boone confirmed with 17 News the two spoke and that she asked Willibey to drop out for fear of the vote being split. Cruz-Boone also said she fears that because the two are both women in education, it could cause voter confusion. Willibey did not respond to requests for comment. Click here for the full interview with Stan Ellis. Click here for the full interview with Dr. Chris Cruz-Boone.