In very winnable CA-7, Buzz Patterson calls on Kevin McCarthy for a hand

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This is a no-brainer. Republicans who have a chance of flipping blue seats to red, such as retired Lt. Col Buzz Patterson in CA-07, need the support of congressional leadership. Patterson is currently up in most polls in the purple district in Sacramento that had a Republican in the seat as recently as 2012. But he is getting little to no support from people like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy who is essentially the gatekeeper of congressional donations.

Patterson isn’t bitter, though. He’s ready to not only work with McCarthy but to endorse him for Speaker of the House should Republicans retake control of the lower chamber. In the latest episode of NOQ Report, I was able to sit down (virtually) with the Sacramento Republican and find out what it’s going to take for him to defeat his opponent, Ami Bera. Despite the great news in the polls, Patterson is not sitting back in his hammock hoping for a win. He’s out there talking to people, knocking on doors, and making commitments he intends to keep with the people of Sacramento. But he needs our help and he needs the help of congressional leaders like McCarthy in order to bring the seat back to the GOP.

Bera has been embroiled in controversies every since winning the seat. He has survived politically, barely winning some of his previous elections with the help of ballot harvesting. But this year, he’s facing a challenger who knows how to fight and knows how to win. Patterson’s career, which included a stint in the White House carrying the “nuclear football” for President Clinton, has always been filled with success.

If the GOP is going to take back control of the House, it’s incumbent on Kevin McCarthy to step up and help people like Buzz Patterson, who is in a very tight race. Otherwise, we’ll be stuck with at least two more years of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.