Keansburg Native To Be Part Of Joe Biden's White House Staff

KEANSBURG, NJ — A Keansburg native was just named to be part of President-elect Joe Biden's White House staff.

The man is John McCarthy, who grew up in Keansburg and is a graduate of Red Bank Catholic High School, and Catholic University. McCarthy, 29, will work in the White House as a senior advisor. He will report to Steve Ricchetti, a top Biden aide, the Asbury Park Press reported.

President-elect Biden's team announced the hiring of McCarthy Wednesday on Twitter.

McCarthy has long worked on Biden's political campaigns and supported him for years, including throughout the crowded 2020 Democratic primary. Since Biden's vice presidency ended, McCarthy worked hard to get Biden re-elected back into the White House, having spent the past four years seeking to gather support for him across the nation. In 2019, he was named to this "30 Under 30" Forbes list of people to watch in U.S. national politics.

"An avowed centrist, McCarthy works on engagement for former Vice President Joe Biden, seeking endorsements and support from federal officials, local precinct captains and everyone in between," Forbes wrote in their profile of him.

In a 2019 interview, McCarthy talked about growing up in Keansburg and how being from the gritty, blue-collar Raritan bayfront town helped draw him to someone like Biden.

"Keansburg was a great place to grow up, and I had an incredibly supportive family," said McCarthy at the time. "While not expressly involved in politics, my grandfather was fire chief of our hometown, and my dad is a union carpenter there. They represented exactly what this community is about: hard-working people who dedicate themselves to expanding opportunity for their family. Those values definitely committed me to the Democratic Party, and inspired me to get involved in politics."

"Joe Biden understands places like Keansburg, and he's never forgot communities like ours," he continued. "Growing up in Scranton, PA he always likes to talk about the values that hard-working communities instill: toughness, resiliency and hope. I think at a time in our country where people feel incredibly divided, he reminds us of those key qualities that bring us together."

Previously, McCarthy was a national director of faith and heritage outreach for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.

McCarthy first got involved in politics when he was 15 years old. At 18 he was elected chair of the Keansburg Democratic party. He was previously a member of the Monmouth County Democratic Party executive board.

He's also worked for local Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone, who represents this area in Washington.

Rep. Pallone praised McCarthy on Twitter Thursday:

"Congratulations to Monmouth County’s own and a former member of my staff @JohnWMcCarthy on his new position in President-elect Biden’s administration! I know that he will serve the country honorably in the White House."

Related: Keansburg Native Son Makes Forbes' '30 Under 30' List (2019)