Kevin McCarthy Draws Another Challenger. This One Is a MAGA Republican.

Although David Giglio is a Republican, he has been critical of Congressman (formerly Speaker) Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield. Giglio, a Madera businessman, has taken McCarthy to task constantly on X, formerly Twitter.

Now Giglio plans to do something about it. He is running against McCarthy.

“Kevin McCarthy has failed the American people,” Giglio said in a news release announcing his candidacy on Monday. “After years of being sold out to special interests, the people of the Central Valley deserve an America First Republican fighting for them in Washington and working alongside President Donald Trump to WAGE WAR against the corrupt uniparty!”

Giglio called the eight Republicans who forced McCarthy’s ouster as Speaker “courageous.”

This is Giglio’s second run for Congress. he finished fourth in a five-person primary for Congressional District 13 in the June 2022 primary, with 15% of the vote. John Duarte, R-Modesto, was the eventual winner.

(GV Wire/Paul Marshall)

Who Else is Running

Several candidates are lining up to run against McCarthy — who defeated Bakersfield Democrat Marisa Wood in the November 2022 general election, 67%-33%.

Wood announced she is running again. Her latest FEC filing shows $11,000 cash on hand.

McCarthy is still the odds-on favorite. His latest fundraising totals — filed before he was ousted as Speaker — show $4.8 million raised in the third quarter of 2023, and he has $10.6 million cash on hand.

John Burrows, a Fresno Democrat who works as a staffer for Fresno City Councilman Nelson Esparza (a previous version of this story said he worked for Fresno City Council President Tyler Maxwell), has raised the most money of any challenger. He reported raising $281,000 for the quarter, with $98,000 cash on hand.

Clovis Democrat Andy Morales is the only other candidate to post fundraising totals, netting $48,000 in the quarter, with $16,200 cash on hand.

Giglio has not posted 2024 totals, but raised $737,000 in 2022, which included a $150,000 contribution to himself and another $180,000 self-loan.

Ben Dewell, who also ran in the 2022 primary against McCarthy, and Matthew Piatt round out the field.

Piatt is a business consultant living in Beaverton, Oregon. The Constitution requires a representative live in the state — not necessarily the district — they represent, but only by the time they take the Oath of Office, in this case Jan. 3, 2025.

Announced candidates for CD 20: top, from left to right: Kevin McCarthy, Marisa Wood, Ben Dewell, Andy Morales; bottom: Matthew Piatt, David Giglio, John Burrows. (GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall)