The Kern County Democratic Central Committee and the Democratic Women of Kern joined together, on Jan. 11, to call on local Republican Congressman and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to resign due to his influence on the riots at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“The mayhem that terrorized the Capitol was incited by the President and his allies, who fed their supporters a steady diet of misinformation and dangerous rhetoric. Bakersfield Representative Kevin McCarthy, in his role as House Minority Leader, has been among the most vocal and influential members of Congress to engage in this type of behavior,” the local groups said in a joint press release. The release also accused McCarthy of violating Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution as well as his own Oath of Office.
“We called on his resignation because he does not represent the people anymore,” said Christian Romo, Chair for the Kern County Democratic Central Committee. “He represents Donald Trump and his billionaire friends.”
According to Romo, the Kern County Democratic Party has plans to keep the pressure on McCarthy until he resigns, as well as plans for if he does not resign. “The only way to remove him from office would be getting a 2/3 vote from his colleagues in the House. We want to pursue that route as well. If he doesn’t resign, we’re going to ask for his colleagues to take him out.”
Robin Walters, president of the Democratic Women of Kern, wants McCarthy to take responsibility for his part in the riots. “I think he [McCarthy] and his kind are to blame. If you can’t tell people the truth, if you continue to allow the incitement of racism and crazy conspiracy theories and the false notion, absolutely false, that this election was not secure, you are responsible. I would say he was responsible because he spoke out about that.” Despite that, Walters does not think McCarthy will resign. She is, however, hopeful for the future of Kern County. “I think there are lots of people in Kern County, more than you know, that are Democrats. I also think there are lots of thinking Republicans. I don’t think the thoughtful Republicans in this town abide by the Trump lies and the McCarthy groveling at Trump’s feet. I don’t think they like people that are just after personal power and personal gain.”
Agreeing with Walters is Elise Modrovich, who is currently in the running for Assembly District 26. “He [McCarthy] won’t resign… Right now he’s trying to work his way back into his power position. We have an opportunity, but I don’t know how long we’ll have it. There is a chink in his armor, so if we can get a strong candidate, we have a shot at Kevin.”
Not everyone in the Kern County Democratic Party is happy with the call, however. Julie Solis, who ran for the 34th District in 2020 and was recently arrested for trespassing at McCarthy’s office on Jan. 11, does not think the party is doing enough. “I think that just releasing a statement that says ‘Resign,’ although it is appreciated, isn’t enough. If you really want to make an impact, then we need to start mobilizing. We need action.”
As of Feb. 4, Kevin McCarthy has not yet made a response to the calls for him to resign.