¶ How To Win Against Tom McClintock
Tom McClintock is a nine-term incumbent who has voted against virtually every major investment in his own district while working to strip coverage from the constituents who depend on it most. He voted for the American Health Care Act that would have left 23 million more Americans uninsured, even after hundreds of constituents packed a town hall to beg him not to. He voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill that cuts over $1 trillion from Medicaid, putting 56% of adult Medi-Cal enrollees in his district at risk. He admitted tariffs are "bad public policy" then voted to keep them in place as they cost California households $25 billion. He voted against the infrastructure law that funded $45 million in highway projects and over $100 million in broadband in his own district, and cheered when the Trump administration killed a $1.2 billion hydrogen project that would have created 220,000 jobs in his region.
¶ HEALTH CARE: VOTED TO STRIP COVERAGE, IGNORED CONSTITUENTS' PLEAS
Voted for the AHCA that would have left 23 million more Americans uninsured and allowed insurers to charge people with pre-existing conditions dramatically higher premiums.
Voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill cutting $1 trillion+ from Medicaid, putting 56% of adult Medi-Cal enrollees in his district at risk. Experts warned that even eligible workers would lose coverage due to bureaucratic burdens. One in five El Dorado County residents depend on Medi-Cal.
Voted against the $35 insulin cap and drug price negotiation, calling them "price controls."
Message: McClintock has spent nearly two decades voting to strip health coverage from his own constituents — and ignoring them when they beg him to stop.
¶ AFFORDABILITY: CALLED TARIFFS 'BAD POLICY' THEN VOTED TO KEEP THEM
Called tariffs "a big mistake" — then voted to keep 25% tariffs on Canada in place. Tariffs cost the average household $2,400/year and California firms $11.3 billion in the first five months of 2025.
Voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill that cuts taxes by $97,000 for millionaires and raises taxes 9% on families earning under $15,000. SNAP cuts he voted for could cost the average affected family $146/month in lost food assistance. California groceries rose 26% over five years.
Message: McClintock says tariffs are bad policy, then votes to keep them. He votes for tax cuts for millionaires funded by SNAP cuts and higher costs for working families.
¶ JOBS AND THE ECONOMY: VOTED AGAINST EVERY INVESTMENT, CHEERED JOB CUTS
Voted against the infrastructure law that funded $13.6 million for Amador County highways, $31.9 million near Auburn, and over $100 million in broadband in his own district.
Voted against the CHIPS Act ($54 billion for semiconductor jobs), the American Rescue Plan, and the Raise the Wage Act.
Cheered cancellation of a $1.2 billion hydrogen project that would have created 220,000 jobs in the Central Valley region, saying companies "should make their money by pleasing their customers".
Message: McClintock voted against every major jobs bill of the past decade — including ones funding projects in his own district — then cheered when a 220,000-job project in his region was killed.
¶ CLIMATE DENIAL WHILE HIS DISTRICT BURNS
Questioned whether human activity causes climate change, citing warming on Mars and Jupiter, and claiming that the U.S. "should not hamstring its economy" to combat climate change — while his district was ravaged by record wildfires consuming nearly 250,000 acres.
Voted against the infrastructure law's $3.4 billion for wildfire risk reduction.
Message: McClintock denies the cause of fires in his district burns, then votes against wildfire prevention funding.
¶ Issue Back-Ups
¶ Policies That Hurt Everyday People
Health Care: Voted to Strip Coverage, Ignored Constituents
Affordability: Tariff Hypocrisy and Tax Cuts for the Rich
Jobs and the Economy: Voted Against Every Investment
Climate Denial While His District Burns
Town Hall Confrontations and Constituent Anger