5 Ways McCarthy Gets Reelected

1. Credit Claiming

1. Twitter clearly demonstrates McCarthy's use of credit claiming.  He talked about the power he had to overturn regulations made under the Obama Administration
2. As Mayhew says, they can use the CRS and staff members to take advantage of their resources, which McCarthy does. 
3. McCarthy also shows what he has accomplished in this Facebook post about passing a bill that will benefit California's water. 

2. Advertising 

1. McCarthy's franking efforts are about average for the California delegates.  He is definitely not one of the top spenders for sending out mailers. 
2. The highest House member in California spent around $204,000, while McCarthy only spent about $21,000 in 2015. 
3. This is beneficial for members like McCarthy, because getting his name out to his constituents will help in pursuing higher office, which is very likely.  Sending out mailer will help McCarthy gain more positive name recognition which will be beneficial when he runs for a more 

3. Staff

1. McCarthy can also utilize his 17 staff members to keep in contact with his constituents and the three activities listed above, such as franking.

4. Party

1. McCarthy uses his party to advantage in getting reelected, especially by gaining leadership positions and power.  His own party elected him for the Majority Leader of the House.  They are essential in providing him with a platform and support.  He is free to take positions that serve his advantage.  

5. Position Taking 

1. McCarthy, uses his own blog and press releases to showcase his stances on certain issues and situation.  Such as this Press Release that shows his support for the director of the Office of Management and Budget.
2.  McCarthy also uses his Blog to show readers where he stands on current issues, such as the Title X abortion funding rule, which you can read here.
3. Using his alliance with the political party I believe the McCarthy can't swing much on the issues he decides are important. When the Speaker of the House, or even, VP, take up an issue it is assumed that McCarthy will agree. 

**McCarthy, because he is now the Majority Leader, can no longer hold positions on committees. though he dis serve on two in the past (Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit & Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises).


**David Mayhew says that members of congress are singled-minded seekers of reelection, and I believe that with McCarthy, this holds true.  He does all of the things above so he can be reelected to continue to climb the political latter and hopefully gain positions of higher power/office.

McCarthy's Electoral Evaluation

McCarthy in 2016

Ballotpedia

• In the 2016 Primary McCarthy beat out two other republicans with 55.5% of the vote. 
• He ran "safely" against his Democratic candidate, Wendy Reed in the general election. 
• As the incumbent, McCarthy was able to win with 69.2% of the vote, leaving 30.8% for Reed.
• This latest election result is interesting because in the past McCarthy has won his elections with over 73% of the votes, even against an Independent candidate in 2012.  
• McCarthy did earn his leadership position as Majority Leader, with ease and the majority of the votes.  He his known as one of the fastest rising politicians so whether he will stay where he is or continue to reach for higher office in 2018 is unknown. I would bet it is safe to say that he will continue his career in politics for as long as the people will elect him.  

2016 Vote

• McCarthy voiced his support for Trump in 2016. 
• Fox&Friends Twitter - This video demonstrates the Majority Leader's support for his fellow Republican.
• Unlike Paul Ryan, who was uneasy about a Trump presidency, McCarthy seemed in full support, even after Trump had 'not-so-nice' things to say when McCarthy dropped his bid for Speaker of the House. 

Campaign Finance 

• 2015-2016 Campaign Committee Finances
• Raised: $7,735,577 - he does much better than the average House member in fundraising
• Spent: $8,072,391
• Source of founds: Majority of founds are from PACs and then from small and large individuals.  He also has a large source of money coming in from "Other" unspecified source. 
• Some of his top donors include:
• Goldman Sachs
• Zurich Financial Services
• Altria Group
• Note - These contributors gave as individuals and in the form of PACs, not through the organization themselves!

Major Issues

• Agriculture - Representing a district that is known as the fruit and vegetable basket this is a very important issue to McCarthy.  Former member of the House Agriculture Committee, McCarthy says, "I continue to work hard to promote the diverse crops that our hardworking farmers harvest, along with opening overseas markets to give the world the opportunity to know that 'Californian Grown' means high quality agriculture products."

• Taxes - Like many conservatives, McCarthy wants to control government spending and NOT increase taxes on families and individuals.  He wants people to be able to keep more of their money, and the government to find more efficient ways to spend their money. 

• Water - Since California is struggling with one of its worst droughts this issue hits close to home for McCarthy.  He is a co-sponsor on the bipartisan bill H.R. 2898, that allows water to flow threw delta, and to be stored, along with many other things.

• Immigration - McCarthy wants to embrace immigrants and encourage them to come to America.  He also wants them to come here legally and to follow our laws. He is against amnesty to those who are here illegally and believes that we must enforce our laws. 

• Valley Fever - Valley Fever is a lung infection caused by fungus living in the soil in places like Arizona and California.  McCarthy is passionate to find a cure and help bring awareness to the disease that effects those in his own community.  A 2014 campaign ad from McCarthy directly focused on this issue. 

Who Wants to Learn About the 23rd? 🙋🙋

California's 23rd District

Get to know McCarthy's District!

Population: 707,345 

Median Household Income: $51,232

Age: 11.1% 65 and over

Race: 75.8% White, 6.8% Black, 5.2% Asian, 1.4% Native Americans

Ethnicity: 35.4% Hispanic

College Graduation Rate: 18.3% 

They also have 99,472 foreign born living the district. This give McCarthy many diverse residents in his district to work with!

**The 23rd District was redistricted in 2011 based on population changes from the 2010 census**

Three of the 23rd's Industries

1. Agriculture
• There are over 2 million acres of land devoted to farming, leading to 3,373 farms in the district. 
• Their gross income from farming was $88,890,000 in 2012 
• They product over 3 billion dollars with their production of crops such as: cotton, citrus, wine grapes, pistachios, cattle, sheep, and many others. 
2. Energy 
• The 23rd District produces more oil annually than the entire state of Oklahoma (that's more than 56 barrels/year)!
• They have also made strides in solar, wind, and geothermal energy productions. 
3. Defense 
• The 23rd is home to:
• Edwards Air Force Base
• Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake
• Mojave & Space Port
• NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center

Politics of the 23rd

• They have been back and forth, from red to blue, House Representatives for awhile now! 
• 1990 Democratic
• 1992 - 2000 Republican 
• 2000 - 2012 Democratic
• 2012 - Present Republican 
• The District has been more red in the long run.  They voted for Mitt Romney and John McCain with the same 25 point margin in 2012 and 2008.  PoliticusUSA

• As for 2016: Clinton came in with 36.1% of the votes and Trump took it home with 58.1%

• Though the District has a majority of republicans there are those who are unhappy with the red district they live in.  
• They even have a Facebook Page: "Indivisible - Citizens of California's 23rd Congressional District"
• Unfortunately, the page only has 494 people following, but that doesn't stop them from being creative in the ways they voice opposition to McCarthy (see crossword & meme below that were posted on the Facebook wall) 

• These residents of the 23rd are fed up with Majority Leader McCarthy and want to hold him accountable for the things he does, or doesn't do. They believe that he is not paying attention to his constituents or has any concern for his district at all. 

• But McCarthy doesn't need to worry too much because, according to the Secretary of State's information from  of May 26, 2016, 44.85% of his district were registered as Republicans in 2016.  There are 96,884 registered Democrats and 145,790 Republicans registered in the 23rd. The other 3.81% of voters align with the Independent Party or with the Green Party. McCarthy is safe for now, but he may want to turn his attention to his constituencies back home to make sure he can continue being reelected. 

Get to Know the Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy

Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy 

Serving California's 23rd District

                

Biographical Information

https://kevinmccarthy.house.gov/about/full-biography

Born: January 26, 1965 in Bakersfield, CA (52 years old)

Residence: Bakersfield, California

Education: Masters of Business Administration from California State University, Bakersfield

Political Party: Republican

Religion: Christian

Career: When McCarthy was only 21, he started his own small business, from the ground up, with the money he won from the California state lottery.  His business was a small sandwich shop, called Kevin O's Deli, that he later sold to pay his way through college and graduate school. During school McCarthy was able to intern with Congressman Bill Thomas, leading to him becoming a member of his staff.  In 2000, McCarthy won his first election becoming Trustee to the Kern Community College District.  In 2002 he was elected to represent the 32nd Assembly District in the California Sate Assembly.  From there he went on to win-over all of his colleagues and take the top position in the California Legislature.  McCarthy was elected in 2006 to Congress and served as the Majority Whip. In 2014 he was elected as the Majority Leader of the House, where he is currently still working, while representing the 23rd District of California.


Family: McCarthy and his wife, Judy, live in Bakersfield with their two children, Connor and Meghan.

The 23rd District

• Holds over 700,000 residents

• Covers most of Kern and Tulare counties

• The three largest industries include: agriculture, energy, and defense

• The district encompasses two national forests 

Electoral Victory & Tenure

• Elected to the House in 2010. Re-elected in 2012, 2014 and, 2016
• He was overwhelmingly elected as the Majority Leader in 2014. Washington Post
• McCarthy also won his last election, in 2016, with 70% of the vote, up 40 points over his democratic opponent, Wendy Reed, who only received 30% of the vote.  NY Times
• McCarthy is always trying to move up in the world of politics, he is constantly working to make sure every "free American has the ability to achieve the American dream" - Kevin McCarthy Biography  
• He has even made a bid for Speaker of the House, though he dropped that bid before the election.  Below is a video, by CNN, that shows how fast McCarthy has risen in Congress. 

Fun Facts  

Washington Post - 4 Things you didn't know about Kevin McCarthy

• McCarthy won $5,000 from the state lottery
• He is a bestselling author for his coauthored book, "Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders."
• Actor Kevin Spacey shadowed McCarthy to better prepare himself for his role as Majority Whip on "House of Cards." 
• He is one of the only republicans in his entire family. 

Interest Group Ratings

• McCarthy has been rated by many interest groups.  Democratic interest groups usually rate McCarthy around an average of 12%.  Conservative interest groups are much more approving, rating McCarthy with an average of 78%.   His highest ratings are from groups like Center for Security Policy and Campaign for Working Families.  His lowest conservative group ratings were from FreedomWorks and Heritage Action for America with ratings in the 40% range. There is a more detailed graph of each interest group and their rating of McCarthy at the link provided below.
•  http://members-of-congress.insidegov.com/l/285/Kevin-McCarthy
• McCarthy has also been endorsed by organizations such as the NRA, Family Research Council, and National Association of Home Builders - Vote Smart

Bills Sponsored by McCarthy

https://www.congress.gov/member/kevin-mccarthy/M001165

https://www.congress.gov/resources/display/content/Most-Viewed+Bills

• Visa Waver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015
• Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act of 2017
• Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2017
• Sanctity of Human Life Act 

These are only a few of the most viewed bills that McCarthy has sponsored, but these, along with others, are readily available to read, in-full, on each of the two links posted above. 

Leadership Positions - Conservative Review

• McCarthy has always been a leader.  Starting young, McCarthy was the chair of the California Federation of Young Republicans, as well as the chair of the Young Republican National Federation.  McCarthy was the chairman of the California Young Republicans.  He was also the Ways and Means Chairman's district director.  He became the Deputy Whip in 2011, and then soon after took over the role as Majority Whip. McCarthy now holds one of his most established leadership roles as the Majority Leader in the House of Representative. 
• McCarthy is also officially affiliated with the Majority Committee PAC

• "There are two different types of leader. A person can either be like a thermometer or a thermostat.  A thermometer will tell you what the temperature is.  A thermostat will not only tell you what the temperature is, but it'll move you to the temperature you need to get to."
• "I want a leader that sets out a path. I want one that doesn't just talk about cuts, but talks about the shining city on the hill.  We're only going to get out of this problem if we grow this economy."