For Congress, elect David Valadao, Kevin McCarthy
Every two years, Kern County voters elect two representatives to serve in the House of Representatives. In the 21st District, which includes all of Kings County, and portions of Fresno, Kern and Tulare counties, Democrat TJ Cox of Fresno is the incumbent congressman. In the 23rd District, which includes most of Kern’s southern and eastern county, and portions of Tulare and Los Angeles counties, Republican Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield is the incumbent.
21st DISTRICT: ELECT DAVID VALADAO
In the 2018 Blue Wave, which wrestled control of the House of Representatives from Republicans, Democrat TJ Cox narrowly defeated Republican Congressman David Valadao. Two years later, Valadao wants his job back.
Some might ask why it took 21st District voters three terms to oust Valadao. After all, the 21st District’s voter registration is overwhelmingly Democratic, it has a large Latino population and is one of the poorest districts in the state. In 2012, President Obama was re-elected in the district by 11 points and Hillary Clinton beat Trump in 2016 by 15.5 points.
Why? Valadao was not a full-throated partisan. He withheld his endorsement of Trump in 2016, but this year publicly supports him.
Valadao touts his bipartisan votes in Congress, but Democrats note many were on bills passed by overwhelming bipartisan votes. They also note Valadao consistently voted along Republican Party lines and supported Trump’s agenda about 97 percent of the time.
While Valadao promoted legislation to provide a path to citizenship through DACA, the legislation failed in Congress. His claims he expanded access to health care was a vote to simply reauthorize an existing program. In 2107, Valadao voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would have left thousands of his constituents without health insurance.
Valadao’s recent campaign ads feature former President Barack Obama. But Democrats, including Obama, who has endorsed Cox, warn it’s a Republican trick to dupe 21st District Democratic voters.
Cox points to more than two dozen bills he has introduced during his first term to address rural health challenges, care for military veterans and investment in education. He has secured funding to improve valley water projects. Cox has been endorsed by the pro-business U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Valadao, a dairyman, and Cox, a businessman, have hammered each other for business failures.
Valadao’s family dairy, for which he had financial, but not management responsibilities, went into bankruptcy and was sold off by creditors in 2018 due to unpaid loans. Because of the bankruptcy, back wages claimed by workers that were to be paid as part of a settlement went unpaid. Valadao now is embroiled in a lawsuit concerning a 2016 industrial dairy accident.
But Cox’s financial problems have mounted and bring into question his judgment. He was elected in 2018, despite reports that he listed on tax records two primary residences — a home in Maryland and his Fresno home. Cox had to repay Maryland for improperly claimed tax credits. And he also broke congressional rules requiring the reporting of all of his company holdings.
Cox owes the IRS about $140,000 in unpaid income taxes — $87,000 from 2016 and $57,000 from 2017. A Cox campaign representative told The Visalia TimesDelta that the congressman “is in the process of paying his bill in full.”
A separate lien totaling about $48,000 was assessed against Cox and his wife in November 2017 for unpaid 2015 income taxes. The lien was released in January 2018.
Cox’s financial problems are why The Californian recommends 21st District voters return Valadao to Congress.
23rd DISTRICT: ELECT KEVIN McCARTHY
Kevin McCarthy was elected to Congress in 2007 to replace retiring Bakersfield Republican Congressman Bill Thomas, his former mentor and boss. Kern County voters have overwhelmingly re-elected McCarthy to serve five consecutive terms. Prior to that, McCarthy represented Kern County in the California Assembly, serving from 2002 to 2006, and on the Kern Community College District Board before that.
McCarthy’s challenger is Democrat Kim Mangone of Quartz Hill. A political newcomer, Mangone is a U.S. Air Force veteran and former systems analyst. She has never held an elective office.
But Mangone is a serious candidate in this David and Goliath match. Her issues include the district’s high unemployment rate, the need for job training, the administration’s COVID-19 pandemic failures, renewable energy, protecting Social Security, water shortages and the need for more bipartisan consensus in Congress.
Mangone’s campaign funding is dwarfed by McCarthy’s huge political war chest, much of which he uses to support Republican candidates in hopes of returning control of the House back to Republicans.
McCarthy’s powerful position as House Minority Leader and his outspoken support of President Trump make the local congressman a lightning rod for Democrats and administration critics.
McCarthy’s full-throated support of Trump, which prompted the president to once refer to McCarthy as “My Kevin,” has caused many of his constituents to cringe with embarrassment and plead for him to show more political independence.
While he has remained a Trump loyalist, McCarthy has not forgotten that “all politics are local.” He also has used his considerable political clout to advance issues, such as water, energy and trade, to protect Kern’s quality of life and economic well-being.
Kern needs an experienced and powerful representative in Congress to confront today’s challenges. Kern needs to reelect Kevin McCarthy.