House GOP leader McCarthy rejects U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsement: ‘They have sold out’

In response to the news that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is endorsing nearly two dozen House Democrats in the upcoming elections, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) accused the national chamber of having “sold out” its pro-business principles and flatly rejected the USCC’s endorsement of his own re-election bid.

For decades, the USCC has been a staunch ally of the Republican Party due to the alignment of their respective pro-business views — but that appears to have changed in the era of President Donald Trump. The national chamber, comprised largely of multinational corporations, aren’t fans of the president’s “America First” economic and trade policies.

U.S. Chamber endorses Democrats

The USCC announced that it would issue endorsements and support for the re-election of some 23 freshmen House Democrats in this cycle. The Chamber also signaled its support for 29 freshman House Republicans, The Hill reported on Tuesday.

Though the Chamber declined to discuss its internal processes and procedures for choosing which candidates to endorse with the media outlet, a top executive, Neil Bradley, did note that all of the endorsed candidates had scored at least 70 percent on a scorecard that tracks their individual voting records with respect to the Chamber’s agenda priorities.

While some focus on @USChamber endorsing 23 freshmen Ds, take note, Chamber also just endorsed GOP challengers to 4 freshmen Ds b/c they were below 70% on scorecard & challengers earned endorsement. Announcements coming soon. We also continue to look at other races. #notpartisan

— Neil Bradley (@NeilBradleyDC) September 3, 2020

McCarthy: “They have sold out”

McCarthy, the top Republican in the House, was asked during a Thursday interview with Fox Business host Lou Dobbs about the U.S. “Chamber of Commerce choosing to fund Democratic — left-wing Democrats, point-of-fact — along with all the RINO Republicans,” with Dobbs also noting the USCC’s open opposition to President Trump’s policies for middle- and working-class Americans.

“Well, I’ll tell you this: I don’t want the U.S. Chamber’s endorsement, because they have sold out,” McCarthy replied. He went on to draw a clear distinction between the globalist national chamber and the many local chambers of commerce that remained focused on supporting America’s small businesses.

Noting that many of the Democrats endorsed by the USCC had voted in near lock-step with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), he said, “It is hypocrisy that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce would endorse these Democrats that are part of this socialist agenda that is driving this country out and is fighting this president,” and added, “Remember, these are the people who voted for impeachment.”

As Dobbs put it, the USCC is obviously in favor of Democratic nominee Joe Biden due to their shared pro-China views. He also called out the anti-Trump/pro-China alignment of the USCC, Wall Street, corporate America, and Silicon Valley’s Big Tech corporations. Watch:

A new political divide

There has been something of a political realignment over the past several years under President Trump as Democrats join establishment Republicans in siding with large multinational corporations against the president’s generally populist conservative agenda, which places an emphasis on small businesses and the middle- and working-class Americans who make the nation’s economy hum.

It has been interesting to see where along that divide certain politicians fall, and it at least appears as though McCarthy is one of those who has embraced the president’s “America First” vision and rejected the globalism touted by the left-leaning political establishment.

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