PEABODY — If this election was decided on the Internet, Rob McCarthy could be considered a clear front-runner in the Republican primary for Congress.
The Saugus lawyer, as of yesterday, had 10,696 followers on the social networking website Twitter, while his opponent, Bill Hudak, had 642.
Including the "fans" he has on Facebook, McCarthy said he has the "publishing power of a small newspaper."
Internet popularity, however, is not a harbinger of Election Day success, especially since many from McCarthy's virtual following could reside outside the 6th District. But the feedback McCarthy has received online and in person at campaign events still has him confident heading into Tuesday.
"With the amount of money (Hudak's) spending, he should be crushing me right now, but he's not," McCarthy said. "Going into the primary, I think we are gathering momentum."
It's a gut feeling, not anything McCarthy can substantiate with polling. If his underdog optimism were to be justified four days from now, it would be an upset victory.
Hudak has run a much more aggressive and higher-profile campaign. He has raised more than $550,000 and spent nearly a half-million dollars. McCarthy, meanwhile, had collected slightly less than $3,000 in contributions as of Aug. 25.
He is a graduate of Saugus High School, who went on to earn a degree in political science from Boston College. McCarthy, 52, considers his North Shore roots an advantage against an opponent originally from Ohio.
"I am a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, unlike Bill Hudak," he said. "I grew up here in the area I seek to represent."
After college, McCarthy attended New England Law in Boston. He then joined the Marine Corps and reached the rank of major before being honorably discharged. During Desert Storm, he served at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina.
A lawyer, McCarthy started his own practice in Saugus. He made two unsuccessful bids for a spot on the town's Board of Selectmen.
"The same reasons that I'm running for the United States Congress are the same reasons I wanted to join the Marine Corps," McCarthy said, before listing "love of country," a "sense of loyalty and duty," "a gratefulness for the blessing of liberty," and a "strong desire to make sure that this country remains free and strong and prosperous."
McCarthy identifies himself as a political conservative and espouses the fundamental views of that ideology. He believes in smaller government, lower taxes, less spending and regulation.
"If we lower taxes, give people back more of what they earn, they'll know how to spend it," McCarthy said. "They'll reinvest it in the economy and bring the jobs back."
He is anti-abortion, favors "traditional" marriage, and supports capital punishment, but only for the severest of crimes, like murder, and only if a higher standard of proof — no doubt as opposed to beyond a reasonable doubt — is applied.
McCarthy acknowledges that his approach toward the war in Afghanistan "might be a little bit different" than President Obama's, but he is reluctant to share what it is.
"The troops over there are brave, and I wouldn't want to do anything to put them in harm's way by making a comment that might be taken the wrong way," he said.
Asked about his stance on General Electric's development of an alternate jet engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a program that Democratic incumbent John Tierney supports and the Obama administration feels is unnecessary, McCarthy didn't have an opinion.
"I don't feel real comfortable giving you an answer on that," he said during a meeting this week with The Salem News editorial board. "I haven't studied it completely enough."
McCarthy isn't sure how his views differ from Hudak's.
"He won't debate me," McCarthy said. "I thought it was kind of ironic that he was standing in the center of Peabody Square on his SUV taunting John Tierney to come out of his office ... and he won't debate me."
Hudak said he would have obliged McCarthy, but he was never asked to debate. McCarthy said he posted his debate challenge on Facebook and Twitter.
Despite continually rejecting their views, Hudak has been linked to "birthers," who insist that the president was not born in the United States.
"I'm not a birther. I can tell you 100 percent, I'm not," McCarthy said. "I may disagree with the policies of the president. I do disagree with some of the policies of John Tierney, but that doesn't mean I don't respect both those offices."
Rob McCarthy
Address: 7 Fay Court, Saugus
Age: 52
Occupation: Attorney
Education: Saugus High School, 1976; Boston College, 1980; New England Law, 1983
Elected office: None
Family: Wife, Liz; three children (candidate declined to give out names or ages)
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