There has been speculation on various websites, and in huddled water-cooler conversation about whether Assembly Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy will be running for Congress this year, and if he does run, who would replace him, presuming that it wouldn’t be practical to campaign for Congress and toil statewide for Assembly Republicans.
I haven’t spoken with Kevin about this yet (he’s hosting a retreat for his colleagues, so I’ll call him on this when that is over). But I think he has made it clear that he has an interest in running for Congress. So this debate is less centered around what will Kevin do, and is more about what will Bill Thomas do? Thomas, who has been representing the Kern County area in Congress for decades, is now 65 and was rumored to be strongly considering retirement this year. Thomas is the Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee (a position he used last year to earmark a massive amount of money for his district last year, earning him the nickname "The King of Pork") however after this session, he will encounter the 3-term limit on Chairmanships. This fueled fire to the rumor of his retirement. Also fueling that fire was the idea that he would want very much for his protégé, Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy, to run for his seat. The main match up against McCarthy would be local State Senator Roy Ashburn. Right now, though, Ashburn is up for reelection in the State Senate, and would have to choose between an additional four years in the Senate, or a bruising primary against McCarthy, who is a very tough campaigner.* We shall see.
The main story on the home page today is from The Hill (the alternative to Roll Call in DC) and it looks at the future of Bill Thomas, especially in light of the seemingly-pivotal last minute support that Thomas gave to John Boehner, who was narrowly elected to the #2 leadership post in Congress.
* – I keep getting conflicting info on when Roy’s State Senate seat is up. I think the current version of this post has it right.
CONTROLLER CANDIDATES ON GOV’T REGULATION
Today on the Political Vanguard website, that is run by my friend Tom Del Becarro, Chairman of the Contra Costa Republican Party, is running a column from former Assemblyman Tony Strickland, on the poor public policy of mandating wage amounts on employers. This has become a hot-topic in the GOP primary for Controller where Strickland is facing off against State Senator Abel Maldonado. Maldonado has introduced legislation to mandate a $1 increase to the statewide minimum wage regulation on business. Maldonado has apparently turned down three offers to articulate his support for this policy.
TWO GREAT COLUMNS
There are two columns in today’s FR that you don’t want to miss. Noted economics professor Walter Williams claimed the ‘coveted’ Golden Pen award today for his straightforward reminder of people rights and how government has grown too much. Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee looks at a new study that shows that a fair redistricting plan can actually lead to a sizable number of competitive legislative districts. Under the current incumbent-protection-plan adopted by Democrats and sell-out Republicans, there is no real hope of GOP majorities in either house of the State Legislature.
Have a great day!
Jon
PS: Coming Friday — I’ve been talking with veteran GOP pollster Arnie Steinberg again. A few months ago, he gave me a controversial interview that raised eyebrows. Well, we are in the midst of ‘Part 2’ and you can read it here on Friday!
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