BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Bakersfield Congressman Kevin McCarthy told Fox News on Wednesday that he believes President Trump won the election and that voters ought to stand behind the president, but according to journalist Dave Wasserman, McCarthy walked back the statement Friday.
McCarthy told Fox News: “They didn’t defeat one Republican incumbent, and they lost 15 — and President Trump won this election.” But in a tweet Friday, Dave Wasserman of Cook Political Report says McCarthy didn’t mean to declare a winner but that President Trump deserves credit for winning back some House seats.
17 News asked McCarthy’s office if it could confirm or comment on Wasserman’s tweet, but his office did not respond Friday evening.
On Friday night, the Kern Democratic Central Committee and Democratic Women of Kern issued a joint statement calling McCarthy’s statements to Fox News “irresponsible” and his behavior as “unworthy of his office.”
“With the stakes higher than ever, it is imperative that we ensure the integrity of our elections,” Kern County Democratic Central Committee chair Christian Romo said, according to a statement. “In the United States of America, we believe that every person and every vote matter. We must continue to count every ballot and let the voices of our citizens be heard.”
The statement also pointed out Republican lawmakers who have spoken out against misinformation about counting remaining ballots in battleground states, including Sens. Pat Toomey and Mitt Romney.
“We urge Congressman McCarthy to exercise responsible leadership during this transition,” the statement reads. Disappointing results are an inevitability in any democratic process and an undesired outcome is not an excuse to cast doubt on the validity of a free and fair election.”
As of Friday night, former Vice President Joe Biden maintained leads in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada and Arizona.
