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POLITICO: “Without [McCarthy] in the building, incumbents like Reps. David Valadao, Mike Garcia, John Duarte, Ken Calvert and Michelle Steel could be in serious trouble.”
California Republicans “could be in some serious trouble” following Kevin McCarthy’s retirement announcement, according to a new piece from POLITICO this morning.
Prior to McCarthy’s fall from power, his leadership brought in millions for California Republicans this year alone. Now — with far-right Johnson as Speaker — Duarte, Valadao, Garcia, Calvert, and Steel will be forced to fundraise alongside the most extreme members of their party.
“McCarthy’s personal struggles have left Republicans in Biden-won House districts rudderless, especially in fundraising,” writes POLITICO.
DCCC Spokesperson Dan Gottlieb:
“Cash-Cow Kevin is calling it quits, leaving California’s vulnerable Republican incumbents in worse shape than ever. While Duarte, Valadao, Garcia, Calvert, and Steel pander to their far-right fringes to raise funds and stay afloat, we’ll be reminding Californians whose interests they’re actually serving in Congress.”
POLITICO: McCarthy’s exit and the ripple effects back home
Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner | December 7, 2023
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California Republicans just can’t catch a break.
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Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy will resign from Congress at the end of the year, he announced in an op-ed on Wednesday, throwing his own political future — and the fates of vulnerable California Republicans — into murky territory.
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His resignation comes as a disappointment, but not a surprise to his loyal supporters in Congress.
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McCarthy aimed to strike an optimistic tone in announcing his departure, promising to stay “in the fight” even though he’ll no longer be in a position to do much fighting. He can still attempt to recruit candidates and raise money for them, but there’s a big difference between having the speaker in your corner and having a former member.
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As our colleague Sejal Govindarao pointed out earlier this year, McCarthy’s personal struggles have left Republicans in Biden-won House districts rudderless, especially in fundraising.
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“It’s going to be hard for them to replicate the operation that Kevin had,” said Rob Stutzman, a top Republican operative in California who has known McCarthy since his time in the statehouse in Sacramento. “They won’t be able to. Johnson doesn’t have the relationships and fundraising prowess.”
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As speaker, McCarthy also elevated the California GOP, in both visibility and power. Without him even in the building, incumbents like Reps. David Valadao, Mike Garcia, John Duarte, Ken Calvert and Michelle Steel could be in serious trouble.
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Mike Madrid, a California Republican consultant who makes no secret of his disdain for the Trump-era version of his own party, put it in simple terms. “Investing in the California Republican party is like investing in Blockbuster,” he said. “The only reason people would was because they had a relationship with Kevin.”
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