FRESNO, CA (KMJ) Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) announced on Wednesday that he will retire at the end of the year.
McCarthy, 58, wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that 17 years after first running for office to serve California in the House he had “decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways.”
“I will continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office. The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders.”
How will this play out now? “I could see four or five candidates filing to run for the seat”, Alex Tavlian told KMJ’s Broeske & Musson on Wednesday. The publisher of the San Joaquin Sun said it’s former Congressman Devin Nunes’ race to lose “with $12 million in the bank (for a federal race). He also mentioned Bakersfield republicans Shannon Grove and Vince Fong as potential candidates.
Nunes, the former Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, is currently the CEO of Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform.
Fellow Valley Representative David Valadao issued the following statement: “Thank you to my friend Kevin McCarthy for his years of service to the Central Valley, the state of California, and our country,” said Congressman Valadao. “Over the years, we have had the opportunity to work together on several key issues that impact our neighboring districts in California’s Central Valley, including bringing more water to our communities and supporting the farmers who feed our nation. Under his leadership as Speaker of the House, the Republican majority passed legislation to secure the border, boost energy production, and cut wasteful spending. Being a member of Congress is equally demanding on our families, and I want to thank Kevin’s wife Judy, and his two kids Connor and Meghan, for their years of sacrifice and support. Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to Kevin for his servant leadership, dedication to our troops, and commitment to delivering for the American people. His leadership and presence in the halls of Congress will be greatly missed.”
