First, Kevin McCarthy gets tossed as speaker, now he faces a primary opponent. Wow | Opinion

Kevin McCarthy began this year by enduring 15 rounds of voting by fellow Republicans to become the speaker of the House of Representatives — a post to which the congressman from Bakersfield had long aspired.

That ended on Oct. 3 when some of those same Republicans summarily dismissed McCarthy with a motion to vacate. His name, above the speaker’s office door, would be taken down. He was the first speaker removed from office in American history.

Now McCarthy may be “primaried” by a Republican candidate who claims to be truer to former President Donald Trump. David Giglio of Madera Ranchos said in an email announcement that voters in the 20th Congressional District “deserve an America First Republican fighting for them in Washington and working alongside President Donald Trump to WAGE WAR against the corrupt uniparty!”

Giglio’s email statement is chock full of Make America Great Again phrases and words that are strictly performative. For example, he can claim there is a “uniparty” in Washington, D.C. — parroting what hard-right congressional representatives say — but there really isn’t. Witness not a single Democrat voting for any of the GOP speaker candidates in the most recent balloting to replace McCarthy.

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The nomination period to get on California’s March primary ballot opens Nov. 13 and runs to Dec. 8. If an incumbent does not file to run again, the period gets extended several more days. So 20th District voters, including those in Fresno and Clovis, will soon find out if McCarthy does indeed plan to run again. If he does, McCarthy will enjoy major advantages — superior name recognition and a vast horde of cash with which to buy ads to further strengthen that familiarity.

Empty MAGA words

Giglio lives in Madera Ranchos with his wife, a nurse practitioner, and 1-year-old son. He owns CaliCards & More, a business in Clovis where he buys and sells sports cards and collectibles. He previously taught high school history.

If Giglio does challenge McCarthy, it would not be his first congressional run. Last year he sought the 13th District seat, which covers Merced County, most of Madera and parts of Fresno, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. In the primary Giglio finished fourth out of five candidates; top vote-getter John Duarte, a Republican, wound up winning the seat in the fall election.

Giglio’s website for that campaign sounded typical themes of Republicans running in the San Joaquin Valley: Get new water supplies for farmers; oppose any efforts to restrict gun rights; let parents choose where to send their children to school; provide tax credits to small businesses who could invest the savings into workers wages, rather than raise the minimum wage.

In his campaign announcement, Giglio faulted McCarthy for “capitulating to Joe Biden and the radical Democrats,” ostensibly because McCarthy helped negotiate agreements to lower the U.S. deficit and to keep the government funded. Both steps were necessary if the U.S. economy and its standing in the world were to remain strong, a point that Giglio appears to miss.

In a similar fashion, the remainder of his announcement spouts MAGA catch phrases: “Now more than ever, it is imperative that we replace career politicians and elect America First Republicans who will secure the southern border, stop the weaponization of government, drain the corrupt swamp, and annihilate permanent Washington.”

Kevin McCarthy need not be concerned

It is true that McCarthy has made serving in Washington his career. Elected in 2006, McCarthy has never lost a race, and today enjoys the safest district in the state for a Republican with overwhelming GOP registration.

This year he authored measures to improve key military facilities in his district — Edwards Air Force Base and China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station. He also led efforts to strengthen the dam that forms Lake Isabella northeast of Bakersfield and is part of legislation to restore giant sequoia forests devastated by wildfires.

If he runs again, McCarthy has $10.6 million cash on hand with which to fuel his campaign. He may see Giglio as little threat, and save that money for the general election a year from now.

It remains to be seen if Giglio will make good on his announcement. For now, he can generate a lot of noise, but that’s about it.

Of course, the situation could change drastically if Trump decides to endorse Giglio over the politician he once referred to as “my Kevin.”

That would just be another twist in what has been quite a year for McCarthy.