As speaker bid falters, mixed views of McCarthy in hometown

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD
AP Political Writer

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is trying to keep his bid for speaker alive, after he failed to gain enough votes for the post over three days. In his California hometown of Bakersfield, voters are mixed over whether he should get the job or focus his attention on oil, agriculture and the local economy. McCarthy hails from an inland region far from San Francisco and Los Angeles. Oil field worker Zane Denio says McCarthy should be doing more to retain oil jobs and get more water for agriculture. But Christy Ferguson, who owns a local café, says “he’ll be our next president.”