GOP’s McClintock fends off challenger in California

Rep. Tom McClintock (R) was projected to have defeated Democratic challenger Brynne Kennedy to win a seventh term in California’s 4th district.

The Associated Press called the race on Monday at 9:10 p.m. EST.

The east-central California district has long been a GOP stronghold in the state. President Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 15 points there in 2016, while McClintock won reelection in 2018 with 54 percent of the vote.

Speaking to the Sierra Sun, campaign manager Jon Huey touted McClintock’s work as chair on the federal lands subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee, saying legislation spearheaded by the congressman has helped to reduce wildfire risk and restore “forest resiliency.”

McClintock garnered some criticism this year due to his protests against COVID-19 safety guidelines. The Sierra Sun reported that a pamphlet from his campaign website said protection from COVID-19 was an individual’s responsibility and he has compared actions to mitigate the spread of the virus to “authoritarian socialism.”

The GOP lawmaker’s win Tuesday comes after Kennedy, a business owner, raised and spent more than McClintock, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Kennedy raised nearly $2.5 million compared with McClintock’s $1.9 million, according to reports from mid-October.

McClintock was first elected to Congress in 2008. He previously served for 22 years in the state legislature in California. The Cook Political Report had rated the race as “likely Republican.”