Republicans woo Silicon Valley

In Silicon Valley, the Wild West of American industry, Republican “Young Guns” now dot the horizon.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) took a ride in Google’s driverless car this week, and he’s planning a trip to Microsoft later this spring. Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will be at Google’s Mountain View headquarters next week for a business roundtable with the industry trade group TechNet. TechNet also set up West Coast fundraisers this month for Reps. Greg Walden (R-OR) and Mike Rogers (R-MI), and Sens. Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Jerry Moran (R-KS). The software developers and smartphone designers may not agree with their guests on gay marriage or abortion, but they’re anxious to protect their businesses from new taxes and regulations. Republicans say it’s a natural fit: They’re younger than their Democratic counterparts in Congress, and they’re making better use of these companies’ platforms in the political sphere. Best of all, they don’t have to tailor their business message to appeal to Silicon Valley — they oppose new government regulations across the industrial landscape.