A Republican small business owner is challenging Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for his House seat, saying California needs an “America First Republican” to work alongside former President Donald Trump.
David Giglio, who runs a business buying and selling sports cards and memorabilia in Clovis, California, filed the necessary paper to run in California’s 20th Congressional District with the Federal Election Commission on Oct. 29. This is not Mr. Giglio’s first run for political office; in 2022, he failed to advance to the general election in California’s 13th District, after finishing fourth in the nonpartisan primary.
On Oct. 30, Mr. Giglio released a campaign launch statement, starting out by saying Mr. McCarthy “has failed the American people.”
“I am excited to announce my campaign to defeat Kevin McCarthy in California’s 20th Congressional District,” Mr. Giglio wrote. “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!”
Mr. Giglio went on to praise the eight Republicans who voted to oust Mr. McCarty from the speaker’s chair earlier this month.
“Kevin McCarthy was removed as Speaker by 8 courageous members of his party for failing to keep to his promises and capitulating to [President] Joe Biden and the radical Democrats,” Mr. Giglio added. “Kevin McCarthy must be defeated.”
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks during a press briefing in the Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Oct. 9, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
After being removed as speaker, Mr. McCarthy refuted reports that he was considering resigning from his House seat early, and said he’ll run for reelection in 2024. He said, “I got a lot more work to do.”
Mr. Giglio faces an uphill challenge to unseat Mr. McCarthy, who was first elected to Congress in 2006. According to the Federal Election Commission, Mr. McCarthy had more than $10.6 million in campaign cash as of Sept. 30.
“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,” Mr. Giglio added. “The American people want and deserve radical change, and I intend to do whatever it takes to fight, win, and deliver.”
The Epoch Times has reached out to Mr. McCarthy’s campaign for comment.
Stances
This year, Mr. Giglio has repeatedly defended President Trump, calling the indictments against the former president a “political persecution.”
In July, the California businessman took to X to comment on a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll, which showed President Trump holding an 18-percentage-lead over President Biden among independents in a hypothetical match-up.
“This is why the Left and Deep State are trying to put Trump in jail. Despite their narratives, they know Trump is winning,” Mr. Giglio wrote. “Now, as is done in all autocratic banana republics, to preserve their grip on power, they must manipulate the law to put their competition in jail.”
Donald Trump, who was then-U.S. president, arrives to speak at a "Make America Great Again" rally in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 31, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Earlier this month, Mr. Giglio wrote in an X post how he was “tired of hearing MAGA/America First labeled as ‘far-right.’”
“It’s actually far more of a big tent platform than traditional conservatism,” Mr. Giglio wrote, before listing 10 items including “secure borders,” “energy independence,” “anti-globalism,” “ban PACs,” “cut spending/spend wisely on programs that directly benefit the American people.”
“The Left knows this that’s why [they] demonize it. It’s the greatest threat to their ‘party of the common man’ charade,” Mr. Giglio added. “The old conservatives despise it b/c it’s not focused on enriching themselves and their elitist friends.”
Mr. Giglio has also been raising concerns about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In July, he raised alarms about the influx of Chinese nationals across the southern border.
“Chinese migrants are entering the United States on foot at the southern border. Almost all are desperate, seeking a better life for themselves and their children. Some, however, are coming to commit acts of sabotage,” Mr. Giglio wrote on X, quoting from an article written by Gordon Chang, a distinguished senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
“An unsecured border is a national security disaster waiting to happen. 9/11 terrorists exploited it and you can bet your bottom dollar that the CCP will/is following their model,” Mr. Giglio added. “Close the border. Save lives.”
In September, five Republican senators wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, pointing out that over 18,000 Chinese nationals illegally crossed the southern borders in fiscal year 2023. They alleged that some of the illegal Chinese immigrants could have ties to the Chinese military.
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers U.S., China, and Taiwan news. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
