California candidates who could replace Kevin McCarthy

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced Wednesday that he will leave Congress at the end of this year, making room for a new candidate to emerge in the rare California Republican stronghold.

“I will continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office,” McCarthy wrote Wednesday in an op-ed about his resignation from Congress. “The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders.”

KEVIN MCCARTHY LEAVING CONGRESS AT END OF YEAR: ‘LEAVING THE HOUSE BUT NOT THE FIGHT’

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has 14 days after the vacancy to call a special election in early 2024 to fill the remaining months of McCarthy’s term, but it remains unclear when McCarthy will leave. Republicans are scrambling to find a GOP nominee for the general election 2024, while Democrats hope to flip the seat.

California is a Democratic stronghold, controlling both chambers of the state legislature, the governorship, and other major state offices. Out of the 52 seats California has in the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans hold only 12. About 47% of registered voters are Democrats, 24% are Republicans, and 23% are independents, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

However, McCarthy’s 20th Congressional District encompasses Kern, Fresno, Tulare, and Kings counties, and skews more Republican, creating a path for a new GOP candidate in next year’s election.

While the contest has only just begun, Republicans already have two candidates in the fray to replace the historic fundraiser and short-lived speaker of the House.

David Giglio

David Giglio, an “America First” and MAGA Republican, is one of two GOP candidates to launch a bid for McCarthy’s seat. Giglio, 35, started his campaign last month, focusing on securing the border and infrastructure. He said he is running to help the working and middle classes, rejecting cuts to Medicare and Social Security.

Giglio, who previously lost a congressional bid for the state’s 13th District in 2022, said that while McCarthy is exiting Congress, he is “still looking to wield power and influence behind the scenes through a handpicked successor,” adding that the soon-to-be-retired representative “accomplished next to nothing” for the people of his district.

“I understand that the 20th District is MAGA country, and I plan to fight alongside a newly reelected President Donald Trump to drain the Washington swamp, crush the uniparty, and ensure the House implements every single item of his Agenda 47,” Giglio said in a statement Wednesday.

Matthew Piatt

Matthew Piatt, a Republican based in Oregon who runs a political blog, is also running for McCarthy’s seat. Despite being a Beaverton resident, federal election laws allow congressional candidates to run in districts without living in them, but they must move into the district before being sworn into office.

Piatt is running as “a true fiscal Conservative” and a “huge supporter of the 2nd Amendment,” according to his website.

On the sidelines

Other possible Republican contenders who have not launched campaigns include Shannon Grove, who represents the 12th State Senatorial District, encompassing the southeastern Central Valley and the northwestern corner of the Mojave Desert. Devin Nunes, who represented California’s 22nd Congressional District from 2003 to 2022 before leaving to run Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, has also been floated as a contender.

Fresno Assemblyman Jim Patterson ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2002 and 2010, and he is about to be termed out in his role. He told KSEE24 News on Wednesday that he would not be running for Congress after talking it over with this family.

“It’s time for me to come home,” Patterson said. “I’ve had 20 years in public life, eight years as mayor, and 12 years in the California legislature. I’ve missed a lot of family time, with my kids and grandkids.”

Democratic challengers

On the other side, a handful of Democrats have launched bids to flip McCarthy’s seat.

Democrat Marisa Wood, a longtime school teacher who ran in the 2022 midterm election but lost to McCarthy with 32.8% of the vote compared to the incumbent’s 67.2%, announced in September that she will try for Congress again.

“It was so amazing to see Kevin McCarthy finally do the right thing for his country and for his district by stepping down,” Wood said in a video statement. “I am excited and ready to usher in a new era where politicians serve the folks that elected them.”

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Fresno Democrat John Burrows is a staffer for Fresno City Councilman Nelson Esparza, and he announced his candidacy for the seat in February.

“Not only is Kevin McCarthy retiring, Devin Nunes might be the Republican who runs to take his seat,” Burrows said on X. “We cannot let this happen. With a special election soon, we must replace McCarthy with a Democrat, not Nunes.”