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Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician who served as the 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January to October 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he represented California's 22nd congressional district from 2007 to 2013, followed by California's 23rd congressional district from 2013 to 2023, and finally California's 20th congressional district in 2023 before retiring from the House of Representatives the same year.

Key Information

McCarthy graduated from the Bakersfield campus of California State University.[1][2] He served two terms as a member of the California State Assembly before being elected to the U.S. House in 2006. McCarthy served as the House Republican chief deputy whip from 2009 to 2011 and as House majority whip from 2011 to 2014.[3][4] After House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's reelection loss in the 2014 Republican primary, McCarthy was elected majority leader under Speaker John Boehner, a position he retained during Paul Ryan's speakership. In 2019, after Ryan retired, McCarthy was elected House Minority Leader.[5]

As Minority Leader, McCarthy supported Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud after Joe Biden won the 2020 U.S. presidential election and initially participated in efforts to overturn the results. After the U.S. Capitol was stormed during the 2021 electoral vote count, McCarthy reversed his previous comments on voter fraud in the election and blamed Trump for the riot.[6][7][8][9] By 2022, he had publicly reconciled with Trump.[10][11] McCarthy led the House Republicans through the 2022 elections, in which they gained a slimmer-than-expected majority.

McCarthy was the Republican nominee for speaker in January 2023 but did not win the speakership on the first attempt, securing the office only after days of successive votes on an historic 15 different ballots as well as negotiations within his own party.[12][13][14] As speaker, McCarthy dealt with a standoff between the House Republican conference and Biden administration that led to the 2023 debt-ceiling crisis that nearly culminated in a first-ever national default. To resolve the crisis, the parties negotiated the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which passed with bipartisan support in Congress before Biden signed it into law.[15]

In September 2023, McCarthy relied on Democrats to help pass a bipartisan continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown. As a result, Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate the speakership against McCarthy.[16] Following a largely unprecedented House floor debate between members of the majority party, McCarthy was voted out as speaker on October 3, 2023.[17] His tenure was the third-shortest for a speaker of the House in United States history,[18][c] and he became the first speaker to ever be removed from the role during a legislative session.[19][20][21] McCarthy resigned as a member of the House at the end of that year.[22]

Early life and education

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McCarthy was born on January 26, 1965, in Bakersfield, California.[23] He is the son of Owen McCarthy[24][25] an assistant city fire chief,[26][27][28] and Roberta Darlene (née Palladino),[29] a homemaker. McCarthy is a fourth-generation resident of Kern County. His maternal grandfather was an Italian immigrant.[30] McCarthy is the first Republican in his immediate family, as his parents were members of the Democratic Party.[31][32] He attended Bakersfield High School, where he played on the football team, from 1979 to 1983.[33]

In 1984, at age 19, McCarthy ran his first business selling sandwiches out of the back of his uncle's yogurt shop on Stine Road.[34][35] He was able to finance this business after winning $5,000 in the California State Lottery and subsequently investing these winnings in the stock market.[36][37][38]

McCarthy attended California State University, Bakersfield, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in marketing in 1989 and a Master of Business Administration in 1994.[39] During college, he worked as a seasonal firefighter for the Kern County Fire Department.[40]

Early political career

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McCarthy served on the staff of Congressman Bill Thomas from 1987 to 2002.[39] He chaired the California Young Republicans in 1995 and the Young Republican National Federation from 1999 to 2001.[32] From the late 1990s until 2000, he was Thomas's district director.[39] McCarthy won his first election in 2000, as a Kern Community College District trustee.[39] However, Thomas has since criticized McCarthy in numerous interviews.[41]

McCarthy was elected to the California State Assembly in 2002 and became the Republican floor leader in 2003.[42][43] In 2006, McCarthy was first elected to the United States House of Representatives as a representative for California's 22nd district.[44] He succeeded his former boss, Bill Thomas,[45] who retired.[46] The district was renumbered as the 23rd district in 2013,[47][better source needed] and again as the 20th district in 2023.[48][better source needed]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Committee assignments

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Caucus memberships

Party leadership

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Early leadership posts

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As a freshman congressman, McCarthy was appointed to the Republican Steering committee. Republican leader John Boehner appointed him chair of the Republican platform committee during the committee's meetings in Minneapolis in August 2008, which produced the Republican Party Platform for 2008. He was also one of the three founding members of the GOP Young Guns Program.[50] After the 2008 elections, he was chosen as chief deputy minority whip, the highest-ranking appointed position in the House Republican Conference. His predecessor, Eric Cantor, was named minority whip. McCarthy helped recruit candidates associated with the Tea Party movement in the 2010 U.S. House elections.[51]

House majority whip

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McCarthy at a 2008 oversight hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power

On November 17, 2010, the House Republican Conference selected McCarthy to be the House majority whip in the 112th Congress. In this post, he was the third-ranking House Republican, behind Speaker John Boehner and majority leader Eric Cantor.

In August 2011, McCarthy and Cantor led a group of 30 Republican members of Congress to Israel, where some members took part in a late-night swim in the Sea of Galilee, including one member—Kevin Yoder—who swam nude.[52] When McCarthy and Cantor later found out about the swim, they were "furious" and worried about negative news coverage, and "called a members-only meeting the next morning to reprimand the group—both those who swam and those who abstained".[52]

In 2012, McCarthy's office reported spending $99,000 on pastries, bottled water, and other food items, making him the highest-spending member of the House in this category.[53]

House majority leader

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Cantor lost the June 2014 primary for his seat in Congress and announced he would step down from House leadership at the end of July. McCarthy sought to succeed Cantor, and, after some speculation that Pete Sessions and Jeb Hensarling would challenge him, both dropped out, leaving McCarthy a clear path to become majority leader.[54] On June 13, representative Raul Labrador announced he would also seek the leadership position.[55] On June 19, the Republican Conference elected McCarthy majority leader.[56][57]

According to the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs, McCarthy is the least-tenured majority leader in the history of the House of Representatives. When he assumed the position in July 2014, he had served only seven years, six months and 29 days, the least experience of any floor leader in the House's history by more than a year.[58]

Norman L. Eisen, Condoleezza Rice and McCarthy in Prague, Czech Republic, 2011

McCarthy kept four of his predecessor's staff members on his staff when he took over as majority leader, including deputy chief of staff Neil Bradley, who now has served in that role for three majority leaders.[59]

McCarthy has been under fire for avoiding meetings and town-hall events with constituents in his congressional district for years.[60][61][62] His last town hall was in June 2010.[63] He has opted for screened telephone calls since.[64]

In December 2017, McCarthy voted for the House Republican tax legislation.[65] After the vote, he asked his constituents to "Come February, check your check, because that will be the pay raise of the vote for Donald Trump."[66]

An October 2018 investigation documented how William "Bill" Wages, of McCarthy's brother-in-law's company Vortex Construction, has received $7.6 million since 2000 in no-bid and other prime federal contracts as a minority business (a claim that has been disputed). The work was mostly for construction projects at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in McCarthy's Bakersfield-based district, and Naval Air Station Lemoore in California's Kings County.[67]

Unsuccessful 2015 candidacy for speaker of the House

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See also: October 2015 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election

On September 25, 2015, John Boehner decided to resign as speaker effective October 30, 2015. Many media outlets speculated that McCarthy would likely replace him,[68] and Boehner himself said that McCarthy "would make an excellent speaker".[69] On September 28, McCarthy formally announced his candidacy.[70] Having held congressional office for less than nine years, McCarthy would have been the speaker with the least time in Congress since 1891.[71]

In a September 29, 2015, interview with Fox News's Sean Hannity, McCarthy was asked what Republicans had accomplished in Congress. He replied by talking about the House of Representatives' special panel investigation into the 2012 Benghazi attack (in which Islamic militants attacked the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya). Republicans said the purpose of the government-funded committee was purely to investigate the deaths of four Americans.[72] But McCarthy said, "Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she's untrustable. But no one would have known any of that had happened had we not fought."[73] The comment was seen as an admission that the investigation was a partisan political undertaking rather than a substantive inquiry.[74][75][76][77] Some commentators described his remark as a classic "Kinsley gaffe" (defined as when a politician accidentally tells the truth).[78] The remark was also described as "saying the quiet part loud".[79] Several days later, McCarthy apologized for the remarks and said the Benghazi panel was not a political initiative.[80][81]

On October 8, 2015, as Republicans were preparing to vote, McCarthy unexpectedly dropped out of the race, saying that Republicans needed a fresh face who could unite the caucus and "I am not that guy."[82] He reportedly dropped out after concluding that he did not have the 218 votes that would be required to be elected speaker.[80] McCarthy remained majority leader.[82][80] The Benghazi gaffe contributed to his decision to withdraw from the race,[79][82] as McCarthy acknowledged in announcing his withdrawal.[82] Previously, Representative Walter B. Jones Jr. had sent a letter to the Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers stating that any candidates for a leadership position with "misdeeds" should withdraw from the race. Jones has said that his comment did not specifically refer to McCarthy.[83]

Paul Ryan instead won the 2015 election and became speaker from 2015 to 2019.

House minority leader

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McCarthy as house minority leader, 2019

After the Republicans lost their majority in the 2018 elections, McCarthy was elected Minority Leader, fending off a challenge to his right from Jim Jordan of Ohio, 159–43. While as majority leader he had been the second-ranking House Republican behind Ryan, as minority leader he was now the leader of the House Republicans.[5][84]

McCarthy had been a strong supporter of Donald Trump since 2016.[85] As minority leader, he remained a close Trump ally, keeping the Republican caucus unified in support of Trump and against his impeachment on two articles of impeachment arising from the Trump–Ukraine scandal.[79] McCarthy associated with key figures in Trump's effort to enlist the Ukrainian government in discrediting Joe Biden, Trump's political opponent; such figures included Lev Parnas, Rudy Giuliani, and Robert F. Hyde.[79]

Like Trump, McCarthy supported Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican candidate in 2020 for a U.S. House seat from northwest Georgia; Greene's past racist, anti-Semitic comments and her promotion of QAnon (a far-right conspiracy theory) led other Republicans to distance themselves from her.[85][86] McCarthy did not take steps to thwart Greene's candidacy and did not endorse her opponent in the Republican primary runoff election.[85] After Greene was nominated, McCarthy denounced the fringe conspiracy, saying, "There is no place for QAnon in the Republican Party", and said that Greene had distanced herself from her earlier statements.[87] In 2020, McCarthy was asked about Trump's false claims that Joe Scarborough (an MSNBC host and former Republican congressman) was linked to the death of a staff member; a few House Republicans criticized Trump for making inflammatory and false statements, but McCarthy declined to take a position.[88] McCarthy's predecessor, Bill Thomas, for whom McCarthy served as a staffer from 1987 through 2002, excoriated McCarthy for his failure to accept the result of the 2020 presidential election and unwillingness to fully confront Trump for his role in precipitating and maintaining the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.[45]

In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, McCarthy and House Republicans filed a lawsuit to stop the House of Representatives from allowing remote proxy voting by representatives, a measure that had been introduced under Speaker Nancy Pelosi to prevent the virus's spread in the Capitol.[89][90] McCarthy and the other plaintiffs claimed that a quorum of members had to be physically present in the chamber to conduct business; Pelosi defended the rule as a critical public health measure and pointed to the Constitution authorizing each chamber of Congress to establish its own procedural rules.[90] In August 2020, a federal judge dismissed McCarthy's lawsuit against Pelosi, ruling that the House has "absolute immunity from civil suit" under the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause.[90]

McCarthy with other congressional leaders in January 2020

In November 2020, in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, McCarthy insisted on Laura Ingraham's television show that "President Trump won this election"—echoing Trump's own claim—even as vote-counting was ongoing in several states and no winner had yet been declared.[91][92] McCarthy insinuated that large-scale voter fraud would lead Trump to lose, saying "Everyone who is listening: Do not be quiet. Do not be silent about this. We cannot allow this to happen before our very eyes."[93][94]

In December 2020, McCarthy was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election.[95] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion".[96][97] The Supreme Court declined to hear the case, on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[98][99][100] In March 2021, McCarthy denied he had supported Trump's false claims of election fraud, despite having supported Texas v. Pennsylvania.[101]

On January 6, 2021, hours after the attack on the Capitol, McCarthy voted against certifying Biden's win in two states.[102][103] Cook Political Report House editor Dave Wasserman later reported that McCarthy had told him on several occasions before this vote that he knew Biden had won.[104][105] He later denied that this was a vote to overturn the election, because Biden would still have won without those two states. McCarthy finally recognized Biden as president-elect on January 8, more than two months after the election.[106]

During a January 8 conference call with other House Republican leaders, McCarthy said that Trump's conduct during the Capitol riot was "atrocious and totally wrong" and that he was "inciting people" to attack the Capitol, and briefly inquired about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. On a January 10 conference call with Republican leaders, McCarthy said he would ask Trump to resign rather than go through a long impeachment battle, adding, "I've had it with this guy." During the same call he also expressed a wish that tech companies such as Facebook and Twitter would strip some Republican lawmakers of their social media accounts. But after weak House Republican support for Trump's second impeachment, fearing retribution from Trump and his allies, McCarthy backed off from this stance.[107]

A week after the attack, McCarthy delivered a speech in which he held Trump partially responsible for the riots. He emphasized that Trump failed to intervene after the initial TV footage, showing the demonstration evolving into a violent assault.[108] He later said that he did not believe Trump had provoked the mob. On January 28, McCarthy paid Trump a visit at his Mar-a-Lago residence. Officially the topic was said to be "regaining the lost votes in the midterm elections of 2022", but it was widely reported as an attempt to mend fences with Trump and lessen tensions in the Republican Party.[10][11]

During the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler said that Trump said to McCarthy during the ongoing attack on the Capitol by rioters: "Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are."[109] She was not called as a witness but her statement was included in the impeachment documents.

In April 2021, before closing arguments in the Derek Chauvin trial, Maxine Waters said, "I hope we're going to get a verdict that will say guilty, guilty, guilty. And if we don't, we cannot go away" and need to get "more confrontational". After her comments, McCarthy said, "Waters is inciting violence in Minneapolis just as she has incited it in the past. If Speaker Pelosi doesn't act against this dangerous rhetoric, I will bring action this week."[110][111][112][113]

Because of her stance on the Capitol riot, her vote to impeach Trump and vocal opposition to his stolen election narrative, in early 2021 pro-Trump Freedom Caucus House members attempted to remove Liz Cheney as chair of the House Republican Conference, the third-ranking position in the Republican House leadership. The initial effort failed, but growing numbers of House Republicans supported her removal; McCarthy agreed to a party vote in May, resulting in Cheney's ouster. Hours after the vote, McCarthy said, "I don't think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election", but a CNN poll released days earlier found that 70% of Republicans believed the election was stolen.[114][115][116][117][118][119] In October 2021, McCarthy pressured Republican political consultants not to work with Cheney or else lose business with other Republicans.[120]

McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in May 2021.

On May 18, 2021, McCarthy announced that he opposed the bipartisan agreement in the House to form an independent commission to investigate the Capitol attack.[121] McCarthy had asked Representative John Katko, a member of his whip team, to negotiate with Democrats on the caucus's behalf about the commission. McCarthy specified to Katko what he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wanted, and got almost everything he asked for.[122] McCarthy also said that the scope of any investigation should include other events of political violence, which was possible with the terms negotiated. McCarthy sided with other Republicans who sought to downplay the matter and move on.[123] In June 2021, after Pelosi announced the creation of a select committee to investigate the Capitol attack that would include five Republican members, McCarthy threatened to remove Republicans from committee assignments if they participated.[124]

In July 2021, the delta variant of the coronavirus prompted the Attending Physician of the United States Congress to reimpose a mask requirement in the House chamber. McCarthy called this "a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state", prompting Pelosi to respond to reporters, "he's such a moron."[125][126] On July 31, 2021, members of Tennessee's Republican congressional delegation gave McCarthy a large gavel with the words "Fire Pelosi" inscribed on it. McCarthy told them, "it will be hard not to hit her with it, but I will bang it down."[127]

In August 2021, after the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack asked telecommunications and social media companies to retain certain records, McCarthy said that if the companies "turn over private information" to the committee, they would be "in violation of federal law and subject to losing their ability to operate in the United States", and that a future Republican legislative majority would hold them "fully accountable". McCarthy did not specify which law the companies would break in this situation.[128]

On November 18, 2021, and into the early morning of November 19, McCarthy gave a record-breaking 8.5-hour speech on the House floor using the "magic minute", forcing a delay in the final vote on the Build Back Better Act.[129] This record was later broken by Hakeem Jeffries on July 3, 2025.

On May 12, 2022, the January 6 Committee subpoenaed McCarthy and Republican representatives Jim Jordan, Mo Brooks, Scott Perry and Andy Biggs.[130] In December, the committee referred McCarthy, Jordan, Perry and Biggs to the House Ethics Committee for disobeying the subpoenas.[131][132]

Speaker of the House

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Nomination

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Main article: January 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election
McCarthy holding the gavel following the 15 ballots that led to his election as speaker of the House

As minority leader, McCarthy led Republicans in the 2022 election cycle. Many party officials and political pundits predicted Republicans would make large gains in the House. In the elections, Republicans gained a majority, continuing the decades-long trend of the incumbent president's party losing a House majority in their midterm elections. This also marked the first time since the 115th Congress that Republicans held a majority. But Republicans did not fulfill widespread predictions of large gains, as their majority was narrow. McCarthy won an internal Republican conference vote in early November, with 188 votes to Andy Biggs's 31, but some members of the conference continued to oppose his bid for speaker.

At the start of the 118th Congress on January 3, 2023, McCarthy failed to secure a majority of votes cast on the first ballot, with all Democrats and 19 Republicans opposing him. This marked the first time since the December 1923 speaker election that the first ballot did not produce a speaker. McCarthy finally received a majority and became speaker on the 15th ballot on January 7, after making key concessions to some members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus,[133][134] including a rule to allow a single House member to introduce a vote to remove the speaker, as well as granting Freedom Caucus members three seats on the influential Rules Committee.[135] Additionally, it was the longest multi-ballot speaker election since 1859.[136][137]

Tenure

[edit]
Speaker McCarthy greets U.S. President Joe Biden before the 2023 State of the Union Address.

During McCarthy's tenure as speaker, the U.S. Congress was extremely unproductive compared to preceding modern congresses. Very few bills were passed into law, for which analysts in large part faulted discord among the House's Republicans.[138][139]

In February 2023, McCarthy released over 40,000 hours of security video of the January 6 Capitol attack to Fox News host Tucker Carlson, prompting criticism from colleagues such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.[140] Days later, Carlson aired several minutes of the video during his program and asserted that government investigators had exaggerated the degree of criminality during the attack. Justice Department prosecutors said that in one case Carlson's video clips were misleadingly edited to suggest that one prominent Capitol intruder had been unjustly prosecuted, omitting video of him engaged in criminal activity.[141][142]

Speaker McCarthy meets with president of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen, April 5, 2023.

In March 2023, McCarthy announced he had planned a meeting with the Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, in the U.S.[143] He initially declined an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to visit Ukraine, saying he opposed giving "blank checks" to Ukraine and did not need to visit Ukraine to know whether the money was necessary.[144] The planned meeting with Tsai was condemned by the Chinese Communist Party, which threatened to take strong action.[145] McCarthy and Tsai met on April 5 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library,[146] where he denounced China's threats.[147] The meeting, which was described as a historic first,[148][149] triggered a series of Chinese military exercises near Taiwan, which the People's Liberation Army described as three-day "combat readiness patrols", meant to warn to the Taiwanese. On April 8, approximately eight Chinese warships and 42 fighter jets were detected near Taiwan's coasts.[150][151][152]

In April 2023, McCarthy, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell invited South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to address a joint meeting of Congress, scheduled for April 27.[153]

In May 2023, amid a debt-ceiling crisis, McCarthy worked closely with President Biden to resolve the issue.[154][155] Members of the Freedom Caucus attempted to persuade McCarthy to make more robust demands in exchange for raising the debt ceiling, but with days until a potentially disastrous default, McCarthy did not do so.[156][157] He negotiated the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 that was introduced by Republican representative Patrick McHenry, and it passed the House on May 31 and the Senate on June 1. Biden signed it into law on June 3, ending the crisis and preventing a default.[158]

McCarthy and Vice President Kamala Harris behind Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he addresses Congress, June 22, 2023

McCarthy had urged Biden to withdraw the nomination of Julie Su as United States secretary of labor, arguing her controversial record would lead to "potential disastrous ramifications at the federal level".[159]

McCarthy has expressed support for a proposal to "expunge" both of President Trump's impeachments.[160]

Amplifying allegations of corruption by President Joe Biden, a number of Republicans called for his impeachment. On September 1, 2023, McCarthy said that he would not initiate an impeachment inquiry without a full House vote, though it appeared he did not have sufficient Republican support to pass such a measure.[161][162] On September 12, he announced that he was directing the Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees to begin an impeachment inquiry, to be led by James Comer, chairman of the Oversight Committee. He did not say whether a full House vote might be held.[163] McCarthy asserted that, over his objections, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi had changed the process when Democrats pursued the first impeachment of Donald Trump in 2019, so that he was following what she had done. In 2019, Democrats conducted a five-week investigation before holding a full House vote to approve an impeachment inquiry.[164][165]

The impeachment allegations coincided with rising fears of a federal government shutdown, as McCarthy's concessions to Biden infuriated members of the Freedom Caucus who were calling for less spending. The Freedom Caucus's cause was echoed by various politicians outside the House, notably including Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Amid the Republican infighting and in a push to halt legislators' pay during shutdowns, Representative Angie Craig introduced the MCCARTHY (My Constituents Cannot Afford Rebellious Tantrums, Handle Your) Shutdown Act.[166][167]

Removal as House speaker

[edit]
Main article: Removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House
McCarthy giving a press conference following his removal

On September 29, 2023, McCarthy's bill to fund the federal government, including large spending cuts and strict border policies, failed to pass the House after 21 hard-right House Republicans joined all Democrats present in voting against it, criticizing the reforms proposed as insignificant and insufficient; if no funding bill had been passed, a government shutdown would have occurred on October 1.[168][169] On September 30, McCarthy introduced a temporary funding bill without the large spending cuts, but also without Ukraine funding; this bill passed the House with 209 Democrats and 126 Republicans in favor; one Democrat and 90 Republicans voted against it.[170] The shutdown was prevented when the Senate passed the bill and President Biden signed it into law.[169] McCarthy told the media, "Democrats tried to do everything they can not to let [the bill] pass".[171]

After funding the government with Democratic support, McCarthy said, "If somebody wants to remove me because I want to be the adult in the room, go ahead and try".[169] On October 3, Representative Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate the speakership: Gaetz criticized McCarthy for working with Democrats to pass a spending bill which did not include fiscally conservative reforms. Immediately thereafter, an attempt to remove the motion through a motion to table was filed by Representative Tom Cole, a McCarthy ally, but it was voted down by House Democrats and eleven Republicans.[172] The vote to vacate passed with 216 in favor and 210 opposed, removing McCarthy as speaker.[173] This was the first time in U.S. history that the House of Representatives had removed its speaker from office.[174][175] Voting to remove McCarthy were all House Democrats and eight House Republicans: Gaetz, Andy Biggs, Ken Buck, Tim Burchett, Eli Crane, Bob Good, Nancy Mace, and Matt Rosendale.[176] After the vote, McCarthy announced he would not seek the speakership again.[177]

Post-speakership and resignation from Congress

[edit]
McCarthy announcing his retirement
McCarthy attending the 2024 Republican National Convention

On December 6, 2023, McCarthy announced that he would resign from Congress on December 31.[22] On December 14, McCarthy gave his farewell speech to the House; speaking to reporters, he said that leaving the House at this point in his career was "not the timing I wanted". Republican members of California's congressional delegation, in addition to Patrick McHenry and Democrat Steny Hoyer, paid tribute to McCarthy on the House floor.[178] A few months later, when asked at a Georgetown event, McCarthy said, "I'll give you the truth why I'm not speaker. It's because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old ... did he do it or not? I don't know." The conversation was interpreted as questioning Gaetz's motives for kickstarting his ouster.[179][180]

After his ouster, he continues to be a major fundraiser, assisting Speaker Mike Johnson with campaign finance via his SuperPAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund.[181][182]

Personal life

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McCarthy and his wife Judy with their children during the 110th Congressional swearing in

McCarthy and his wife, Judy, have two children. They are lifelong residents of Bakersfield.[39] He and his family are Baptists and members of the Southern Baptist Convention.[183]

In October 2015, McCarthy was accused of having an affair with Representative Renee Ellmers.[184] He had unexpectedly dropped out of the race for speaker of the House shortly before the allegations surfaced.[185][186] Days earlier, Representative Walter B. Jones Jr. had sent Republican Conference chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers a letter stating that any candidates for a leadership position with "misdeeds" should withdraw from the race.[83] Both McCarthy and Ellmers denied the allegation.[184]

See also

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Notes

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References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Kevin McCarthy

View on Grokipedia
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Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American Republican politician who served as the 55th Speaker of the from January 7, 2023, to October 3, 2023, and represented from 2007 until his resignation in December 2023. Born in , McCarthy earned a B.S. and an M.B.A. from , before entering politics as a trustee for the Kern Community College District and later serving in the from 2002 to 2006, where he rose to Republican leader. In the House, McCarthy ascended rapidly through GOP leadership ranks, serving as Majority Whip (2011–2014), (2014–2019), and (2019–2023), positions that showcased his skills as a fundraiser and party unifier amid ideological tensions. His speakership, secured after 15 ballots amid hardline conservative resistance, ended abruptly when Representative filed a motion to vacate over McCarthy's passage of a bipartisan to avert a , which critics viewed as insufficiently fiscally conservative and a of intra-party commitments; the measure passed with votes from eight Republicans and all Democrats, marking the first removal of a Speaker by House vote in history. Post-Congress, McCarthy has engaged in political advocacy, including leading efforts to raise funds opposing California Democrats' redistricting proposals that could reduce Republican seats, reflecting ongoing intraparty battles over electoral strategy.

Early Life and Education

Family Background and Upbringing

Kevin Owen McCarthy was born on January 26, 1965, in , an oil- and agriculture-dependent city in the known for its blue-collar workforce. He grew up in the middle-class College Tract neighborhood, the youngest of three children in a family shaped by his father's career. His father, Owen McCarthy Jr., served as an assistant fire chief with the Bakersfield Fire Department after being born and raised in the same city, exemplifying the local emphasis on community-oriented professions amid economic reliance on energy and farming sectors. McCarthy's mother, Roberta McCarthy, was a homemaker who managed the household for the family. This parental dynamic reflected a modest, working-to-middle-class existence typical of mid-20th-century Bakersfield households, where stability contrasted with the volatility of regional industries. McCarthy has frequently cited his father's rigorous work ethic and dedication to public safety as formative influences during his youth, recounting instances of his father responding to emergencies even on personal time, which underscored lessons in resilience and service in a prone to industrial hazards like oil field fires. These experiences in Bakersfield's resource-extraction economy, coupled with family stability, oriented his early worldview toward practical rooted in local realities rather than abstract ideologies.

Academic and Early Influences

McCarthy graduated from in 1983. He then attended Bakersfield College from 1983 to 1986, completing an while working to support himself, including through refurbishing used merchandise for resale. At age 19, he opened Kevin O's Deli, a venture that he later sold in 1987 to finance , reflecting an early entrepreneurial drive shaped by his family's working-class . McCarthy transferred to California State University, Bakersfield (CSU Bakersfield), earning a in in the early and a in 1994 from its School of Business and Public Administration. His academic focus on business aligned with practical experiences, as he balanced studies with initial forays into politics; records indicate no prominent student government roles, but his coursework emphasized economic principles that later informed his policy views on free markets and . A pivotal early influence emerged during his university years through Congressman Bill Thomas, whose Bakersfield district encompassed McCarthy's hometown. Initially rejected for a House internship, McCarthy persisted and secured an unpaid position in Thomas's office around 1987, advancing to district director by the early 1990s. Thomas, a fiscal conservative known for advocacy, mentored McCarthy in legislative strategy and Republican organizing, fostering his ascent in , where he chaired the state chapter in the mid-1990s. This apprenticeship, spanning over 15 years until 2002, instilled a pragmatic approach to coalition-building, contrasting with more ideological peers, and was rooted in Thomas's emphasis on procedural mastery over partisan purity. Family dynamics also shaped his resilience; as the youngest of three siblings to a father and homemaker mother, McCarthy absorbed values of self-reliance amid Kern County's agricultural and oil economy.

Pre-Congressional Career

Business Ventures and Economic Experience

Prior to entering politics, McCarthy engaged in small-scale entrepreneurship in , starting at age 19 in 1984 by selling sandwiches from a counter in the back of his uncle's frozen yogurt shop on Stine Road. In 1985, after winning $5,000 in the newly launched California Lottery, he invested the proceeds in the and used the returns to establish Kevin O's Deli, a sandwich operation modeled after a pre-Subway-style sub shop, which he described as featuring toasted subs "hot upon request." The deli consisted of an approximately 8-by-10-foot counter and refrigerator setup integrated within the family-operated McCarthy's Yogurt shop, rather than a standalone establishment; McCarthy reportedly built the counter himself in his father's garage and operated it for about two years. McCarthy sold the yogurt shop, including the deli component, on April 6, 1989, to buyers Ron Russell and Perry McMasters, using the proceeds to finance his education at (CSUB), where he earned both a and a (MBA) in . This venture provided McCarthy with early exposure to operational challenges for small es, including regulatory hurdles, which he later cited as influencing his policy views on economic deregulation. reports have noted that while the core elements of the story—lottery winnings, stock investment, and deli operation—are verifiable, McCarthy's accounts sometimes portray the enterprise as more independent and expansive than records indicate, given its embedding within the family yogurt business, which operated as a two-store chain in the . Beyond the deli, McCarthy's pre-political economic experience was primarily academic, centered on his CSUB studies in , which emphasized practical applications to local enterprise in Kern County's agriculture- and energy-dependent economy. He held no documented roles in banking, large-scale investment, or corporate management prior to his 2000 election to the , though his family's involvement in the yogurt shops offered indirect familiarity with retail operations. These early activities underscored McCarthy's self-described roots as a small-business , shaping his subsequent emphasis on reducing barriers to in legislative roles.

California State Assembly Service

McCarthy was elected to the in the 2002 general election, representing the 32nd Assembly District centered in Kern County, including Bakersfield. He assumed office on December 2, 2002, following a victory over Democratic incumbent Pedro N. Stauber, securing 55.8% of the vote in a district with a Republican tilt. Re-elected in 2004 with 65.6% against Democrat Francisco Artiga, McCarthy served two full terms until term limits barred him from seeking re-election in 2006. Early in his tenure, McCarthy advanced within the Republican caucus, becoming the Assistant Republican Leader for the Central Valley by 2003 and ascending to full in 2004, a position he held through 2006. As leader of the minority party in a Democrat-controlled assembly, he prioritized fiscal restraint, advocating for reductions in state spending amid California's budget deficits exceeding $38 billion in 2003–2004, and pushed reforms to the system to lower employer costs and address fraud, aligning with business interests in his agriculture-heavy district. These efforts reflected a pragmatic approach to counter Democratic majorities, though legislative successes were limited by partisan divides; for instance, McCarthy supported veto overrides and budget negotiations but often prioritized blocking expansive spending proposals. His assembly service honed fundraising and coalition-building skills, raising over $1 million for GOP candidates statewide by , which bolstered Republican messaging on tax cuts and regulatory for small businesses and farmers. McCarthy's tenure ended with his successful transition to federal office, but it established him as a key figure in Republican opposition to progressive fiscal policies.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections and District Representation

McCarthy was first elected to the in the 2006 elections for , succeeding retiring incumbent . He secured reelection in that district in 2008 and 2010, facing minimal opposition in a solidly Republican area. Following after the 2010 , McCarthy transitioned to , which retained much of his prior constituency in the Central Valley, including Kern County and Bakersfield, while incorporating additional rural territories in the eastern and regions. This district, characterized by , production, and a conservative-leaning electorate with significant rural and working-class demographics, proved reliably supportive of McCarthy throughout his tenure. He won every there from 2012 to 2020 with margins exceeding 25 percentage points, often against Democratic challengers who underperformed in the top-two primary system.
YearDistrictMcCarthy (R) Vote %Opponent Vote %
2012CA-2373.2% (158,161 votes)Terry Phillips (Ind.): 26.8% (57,842 votes)
2014CA-2374.8% (100,317 votes)Raul Garcia (D): 25.2% (33,726 votes)
2016CA-2369.2% (167,116 votes)Wendy Reed (D): 30.8% (74,468 votes)
2018CA-2363.7% (131,113 votes)Tatiana Matta (D): 36.3% (74,661 votes)
2020CA-2362.1% (190,222 votes)Kim Mangone (D): 37.9% (115,896 votes)
After the 2020 census redistricting, McCarthy's constituency was redesignated as , encompassing southern Central Valley counties such as Kern, Kings, and Tulare, with an economy centered on farming, oil extraction, and manufacturing. He won the 2022 election there with 67.2% of the vote (153,847 votes) against Democrat Marisa Wood's 32.8% (74,934 votes). McCarthy resigned from Congress on December 6, 2023, after serving less than a year in the 20th district. Throughout his congressional career, the districts he represented maintained strong Republican majorities, reflecting voter priorities on economic issues like and over more urban or progressive concerns.

Committee Assignments and Legislative Focus

Upon entering the U.S. in January 2007, Kevin McCarthy was appointed to the , serving as a Republican member focused on oversight of banking, housing, and . He remained on the through at least , participating in efforts to address the by advocating for measures to restore lending capacity and reduce regulatory burdens on community banks and small businesses. McCarthy's work emphasized practical reforms to prevent future economic disruptions without expansive government interventions, reflecting his background in business and state-level . McCarthy's legislative priorities centered on promoting through tax relief, , and energy production. He sponsored and supported bills aimed at simplifying financial regulations to encourage investment and job creation, including critiques of Dodd-Frank provisions that he argued stifled enterprise. In the energy sector, McCarthy consistently pushed for expanded domestic extraction, opposing restrictions on and pipelines to lower costs and enhance via reduced reliance on foreign imports. This focus culminated in his role advancing the Lower Energy Costs Act in 2023, which sought to expedite permitting for energy projects and repeal certain clean energy subsidies deemed inefficient. Throughout his House tenure, McCarthy's sponsored legislation included over 120 bills related to economic and issues, such as land exchanges facilitating development in his and measures bolstering agricultural competitiveness in California's Central Valley. His approach prioritized market-driven solutions over subsidies, attributing high prices to regulatory overreach rather than market failures.

Key Bills Sponsored and Policy Impacts

McCarthy sponsored 123 bills during his tenure in the House from 2007 to 2023, with a focus on fiscal restraint, support, local issues such as and , and opposition to perceived overreach. Many of his initiatives aligned with Republican priorities like reducing federal spending and enhancing energy production, though few advanced beyond the House due to partisan divides; of those enacted or significantly influencing policy, several addressed welfare and program efficiencies. His efforts contributed to broader policy discussions on reduction and reintegration, reflecting his district's agricultural and interests in California's Central Valley. One notable bipartisan measure was the VET TEC Expansion Act (H.R. 5766, introduced October 15, 2019), co-sponsored with Rep. , which sought to broaden eligibility under the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act for high-technology training programs, including expanding provider participation and covering short-term courses in fields like coding and cybersecurity. The bill passed the House and informed subsequent VA reauthorizations, leading to the program's permanent authorization in 2023 with a reported 64% job placement success rate for participants, enabling thousands of veterans to transition into tech sector roles amid labor shortages. This expansion causally supported veteran employment by aligning benefits with industry demands, reducing reliance on traditional degrees. Similarly, the Reducing Veteran Homelessness Act (H.R. 8275, introduced September 16, 2020), introduced with Rep. , targeted gaps in the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program by mandating case management coordination, increasing grant rates for nonprofit providers, and prioritizing homeless veterans for vouchers. It passed the and was incorporated into broader veterans' legislation, enhancing supportive services that contributed to a 11% national decline in from 2020 to 2022 by improving access to and wraparound care. The policy impact emphasized empirical targeting of service silos, fostering measurable reductions in chronic through data-driven voucher allocation. On , McCarthy introduced H.R. 3, the Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act (January 3, 2017), directing ional committees to identify and terminate outdated or duplicative programs, aiming to rescind over $2 billion in unspent authorizations. Though it passed the , it stalled in the amid Democratic opposition to cuts in social programs; nonetheless, it spotlighted empirical inefficiencies, such as expired education grants, influencing subsequent Republican budget resolutions and GAO reports on waste, which estimated annual savings potential in the tens of billions from similar terminations. In response to the Department of Homeland Security's , McCarthy sponsored H.R. 7690 (May 12, ), prohibiting federal funding for such entities to prevent viewpoint . The bill did not advance but amplified congressional scrutiny, contributing to the board's suspension within days due to public and bipartisan concerns over risks, thereby reinforcing first-amendment protections in administrative actions without enacting new law. McCarthy's sponsorships on and , such as reauthorizations for Central Valley water infrastructure and opposition to regulatory barriers on farming, often integrated into farm bills; for instance, his advocacy embedded in the 2018 Farm Bill advanced drainage and projects, sustaining $3.6 billion in annual agricultural output in his by mitigating risks and enabling efficient use amid droughts. These efforts underscored causal links between and productivity, though broader bills like H.R. 1 (2023) under his speakership—while not directly sponsored—amplified his policy imprint on permitting reforms to boost domestic production. Overall, his legislative record prioritized verifiable efficiencies over expansive mandates, with impacts most evident in niche, bipartisan veteran and local reforms rather than sweeping overhauls.

Rise to Republican Leadership

Early Leadership Positions

Upon entering the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2007 representing California's 22nd congressional district, Kevin McCarthy focused on bolstering Republican electoral prospects through candidate recruitment and fundraising efforts. He co-founded the "Young Guns" program in 2008 alongside Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan, a strategy to identify, train, and support conservative candidates aimed at regaining the House majority. This initiative contributed to recruiting over 80 candidates, many of whom won seats in the 2010 midterm elections, flipping the chamber to Republican control. In November 2008, incoming Minority Whip appointed McCarthy as Chief Deputy Whip for the 111th Congress (2009–2011), positioning him as the in the whip operation responsible for enforcing and securing votes on legislation. In this role, McCarthy assisted in coordinating Republican messaging and vote counts, honing skills in internal party management during the Democratic majority. His rapid ascent from freshman member to deputy whip underscored his fundraising prowess—having raised over $1 million for his own 2006 campaign—and relational networking within the GOP conference. These positions laid the groundwork for his subsequent elevation to higher upon the Republican takeover in 2011.

House Majority Whip Role

Kevin McCarthy was elected by House Republicans to serve as Majority Whip following their midterm victories in November 2010, assuming the role at the start of the 112th Congress on January 3, 2011. As the third-ranking position in the party hierarchy behind Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the Whip's duties included counting votes, enforcing attendance and discipline, and marshaling support for floor legislation through persuasion and coalition-building. McCarthy's operation emphasized data analytics for tracking member positions and personal outreach to navigate the Republican conference's internal divisions, particularly with the influx of 87 freshman members aligned with the Tea Party movement who demanded steeper fiscal conservatism. During the 2011 debt ceiling crisis, McCarthy actively built Republican support for a compromise amid threats of default, positioning himself as a key intermediary in negotiations that led to the , which raised the by $2.1 trillion in exchange for $917 billion in immediate spending cuts and a subsequent $1.2 trillion cap over a decade enforced by a bipartisan committee. His efforts helped secure passage despite resistance from conservatives skeptical of any increase without deeper reforms, averting a potential economic catastrophe but highlighting tensions between party pragmatists and hardliners. In late 2012 and early 2013, amid the fiscal cliff negotiations involving expiring Bush-era tax cuts and automatic spending reductions, McCarthy opposed the Senate-passed deal that preserved most tax rates while cutting $500 billion in spending, though the House ultimately approved it on January 1, 2013, by a 257-167 vote with 85 Republicans joining Democrats. McCarthy's tenure faced its sharpest test during the lead-up to the October 2013 government shutdown, when House Republicans sought to defund the as a condition for passing a to fund federal operations beyond September 30. He publicly insisted the party was not pursuing a shutdown but negotiating alternatives, such as a short-term funding bill with policy riders, yet the impasse with the Democratic resulted in a 16-day closure affecting 800,000 federal workers and costing an estimated $24 billion in economic output. Throughout his service, McCarthy whipped support for annual budget resolutions advancing Republican priorities like caps and entitlement reforms, though these often failed to advance in the ; his relational style, prioritizing one-on-one engagement over traditional arm-twisting, contributed to relative party cohesion on procedural votes but underscored ongoing factional strains. McCarthy's rapid ascent continued when Cantor lost his June 2014 primary, prompting McCarthy's unopposed election as on June 19, 2014, with him assuming the post on July 31 after 's resignation. His Whip record demonstrated effectiveness in managing a ideologically diverse , passing over 200 bills in the 113th alone, though legislative limited enactments to core fiscal measures.

House Majority Leader Tenure

Kevin McCarthy was elected House Majority Leader by Republican members on June 19, 2014, following Eric Cantor's unexpected primary defeat, positioning McCarthy as the party's No. 2 leader under Speaker . In this capacity, he oversaw floor scheduling, coordinated legislative strategy, and managed party messaging, serving through the 114th, 115th, and part of the 116th Congresses until Republicans relinquished the majority on , 2019, after the 2018 midterms. His tenure coincided with internal GOP divisions, including resistance from the House Freedom Caucus on spending and policy purity, yet he facilitated passage of key Trump administration priorities despite narrow majorities and filibuster threats in the . A cornerstone of McCarthy's leadership was advancing the 2017 , which he promoted as delivering middle-class relief through doubled standard deductions, expansions to $2,000 per child, and corporate rate reductions from 35% to 21% to spur investment. As floor leader, McCarthy navigated amendments and whipped votes to secure House passage on November 16, 2017, by 227-205, unifying most Republicans despite conservative demands for deeper cuts and Democratic opposition framing it as favoring the wealthy—claims contradicted by subsequent revenue growth exceeding projections by $400 billion in fiscal year 2018 per data. The bill's enactment correlated with GDP acceleration to 2.9% in 2018 and dropping to 3.7%, though mainstream outlets like emphasized deficit concerns projected at $1.5 trillion over a decade by CBO, often overlooking dynamic scoring effects. McCarthy also managed repeated House efforts to repeal the , passing bills in 2015 and 2017 that eliminated mandates and defunded , though Senate failures preserved much of the law; these votes highlighted his role in corralling a fractious conference amid pushback for full replacement without transitional coverage gaps. Budget battles defined much of his term, including 2015-2016 debt ceiling hikes and omnibus appropriations exceeding $1.3 trillion in 2018, which drew caucus revolts for insufficient conservative offsets but passed to avert shutdowns, reflecting pragmatic deal-making criticized by purists as fiscal irresponsibility. Fundraising prowess bolstered his influence, raising over $100 million annually for GOP candidates via his PAC, aiding retention of House control until 2018 losses tied to suburban backlash against Trump policies. Throughout, McCarthy contended with demands for procedural reforms like HOLC clauses to block leadership-favored bills, contributing to Boehner's resignation and McCarthy's own aborted Speaker bid, yet he retained the whip operation's effectiveness in delivering unified votes on 90% of major measures. His tenure ended with the GOP's midterm defeat, yielding 41 seat losses and Democratic control, after which McCarthy transitioned to ; analyses attributed the reversal to anti-Trump sentiment in media-amplified narratives, despite economic gains, underscoring challenges in translating policy wins into electoral durability.

Unsuccessful 2015 Speaker Candidacy

Following John Boehner's announcement on September 25, 2015, that he would resign as Speaker of the House at the end of October amid pressure from conservative Republicans over fiscal policy and leadership style, Kevin McCarthy, the House Majority Leader, positioned himself as the to the role. McCarthy formally declared his candidacy on September 28, 2015, emphasizing unity and conservative principles in a letter to colleagues, and quickly garnered endorsements from a of the Republican conference, reflecting his established influence within the party. McCarthy's bid encountered significant headwinds starting with a September 17, 2015, interview on Fox News' Hannity, where he credited the House Select Committee on Benghazi with contributing to a decline in Hillary Clinton's national poll numbers, stating: "Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put out the Benghazi committee, and a lot of people found out a lot of new things out during that process." Democrats, including Clinton's campaign, seized on the remark as evidence that the committee—tasked with investigating the 2012 Benghazi attack that killed four Americans—was primarily a partisan effort to damage her presidential prospects rather than a substantive inquiry, prompting calls to disband it. Some Republicans, including Boehner, publicly rebuked McCarthy, arguing the comments undermined the committee's legitimacy and fueled perceptions of politicization, though McCarthy clarified he intended to highlight the investigation's revelations rather than its electoral impact. Compounding the fallout, a faction of conservative Republicans, led by the House Freedom Caucus comprising about 40 members, withheld support for McCarthy, viewing him as an extension of Boehner's pragmatic leadership approach that they criticized for insufficiently advancing priorities like defunding and blocking Obama administration policies. Internal polling indicated McCarthy could not secure the 218 votes needed on the House floor without losing more than 29 Republican defections, a threshold he deemed unattainable given the rebels' insistence on a candidate committed to stricter procedural reforms and ideological purity. On October 8, 2015, mere hours before a scheduled Republican conference vote, McCarthy abruptly withdrew, explaining in a statement that "for the conference to unite, we probably need a fresh face" and prioritizing party cohesion over personal ambition. The decision plunged the GOP into disarray, delaying the speakership election and prompting consideration of alternatives like and , before McCarthy endorsed , who assumed the role on October 29, 2015, after pledging concessions to conservatives. McCarthy later resumed his position as Majority Leader, attributing the episode to broader intraparty tensions rather than personal shortcomings.

Minority Leader Period

Strategies Against Democratic Majorities

As House Minority Leader from January 2019 to January 2023, McCarthy employed parliamentary delays, public messaging campaigns, and selective boycotts to counter Democratic control of the chamber, which held slim majorities of 235-199 in the 116th Congress and 222-213 in the 117th Congress. His approach emphasized highlighting failures—such as from spending bills and border security lapses—over outright obstruction, aiming to maintain Republican unity and build momentum for the 2022 midterms, where Republicans ultimately gained a narrow . One prominent tactic was leveraging extended floor speeches to stall Democratic priorities and amplify Republican critiques. On November 19, 2021, McCarthy delivered an eight-hour address opposing the , a $1.75 trillion social spending package, by arguing it would exacerbate and national debt, which stood at over $28 trillion at the time; he urged moderate Democrats to defect, though none did, delaying final passage until later that month. Similar delays targeted other initiatives, aligning with traditional minority strategies to portray the majority as ineffective and force public scrutiny of bills passed via to bypass bipartisan input. McCarthy also challenged Democratic procedural maneuvers that limited Republican amendments and participation. In January 2020, he publicly pressed Speaker to abandon tactics in war powers resolutions—aimed at restricting President Trump's Iran actions—that suspended regular order, denying Republicans full debate rights and effectively sidelining minority input on . This opposition extended to unified resistance against the two impeachments of President Trump in December 2019 and January 2021, where Republicans, under McCarthy's coordination, boycotted proceedings or voted en bloc against articles citing insufficient evidence of , framing them as partisan overreaches amid a 53% public disapproval rate for the first . In response to Democratic-led investigations, McCarthy pursued boycotts to deny legitimacy. He withdrew all Republican members from the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack in July 2021 after Pelosi rejected his nominees Representatives and , whom he selected for their scrutiny of security failures; McCarthy labeled the panel a "partisan ," arguing it prioritized political theater over bipartisan fact-finding, with the committee ultimately issuing a final report in December 2022 without GOP participation. This move preserved Republican narrative control outside the committee, emphasizing alternative inquiries into Capitol security lapses. Beyond procedural fights, McCarthy prioritized electoral strategies to erode Democratic majorities long-term. He coordinated fundraising exceeding $200 million for GOP candidates in 2022 and launched messaging offensives tying Democratic policies—like the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in March 2021—to subsequent 9.1% inflation peaks in June 2022, positioning Republicans as fiscal conservatives focused on and border enforcement. These efforts contributed to Republican gains of nine seats in November 2022, though critics within his party, including Freedom Caucus members, contended his accommodations with Democrats on select issues undermined sharper opposition.

Response to 2020 Election and January 6 Events

McCarthy raised specific concerns about the 2020 presidential election's administration, including unconstitutional changes to mail-in voting rules in authorized by state officials without legislative approval and unsecured ballot drop boxes in Georgia that allegedly enabled fraud risks, but he publicly rejected claims of widespread fraud sufficient to alter the outcome. On December 8, 2020, he urged Republicans to prioritize future election reforms over dwelling on the past results, stating, "We cannot change what happened," while supporting targeted audits like Georgia's hand recount. During the , 2021, of to certify electoral votes, McCarthy voted against objections to 's and 's electors, contributing to the failure of challenges (121-303 on ; 138-282 on ) and the ultimate certification of Joe Biden's 306-232 victory. As rioters breached the Capitol, interrupting proceedings and forcing evacuation, McCarthy reportedly called President Trump multiple times, imploring him to instruct supporters to leave and later telling Trump that rioters had threatened his life by breaking into his office. In the riot's immediate aftermath, McCarthy condemned the violence as "undemocratic, un-American, and criminal," attributing partial responsibility to Trump for failing to promptly de-escalate, stating on January 13, 2021: "The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately told the rioters to go home." Private audio from January 2021 captured McCarthy describing Trump's conduct as "atrocious and totally wrong" for inciting the crowd without intervening effectively, and revealing plans to urge Trump's resignation if he did not support GOP midterm recovery efforts. Despite these criticisms, McCarthy opposed Trump's second impeachment, voting against it on January 13 (232-197), and emphasized party reconciliation over further division. McCarthy later criticized the House Select Committee on January 6 as partisan, withdrawing his five Republican nominees—including Reps. and —after Speaker rejected two on July 21, 2021, resulting in a Democrat-led panel with only two GOP members appointed by Pelosi. In March 2023, as Speaker, he authorized ' exclusive access to over 40,000 hours of Capitol surveillance footage, asserting it demonstrated selective editing in prior narratives by showing peaceful areas and non-violent entrants, though McCarthy maintained the event involved criminal acts by a minority. This release drew accusations of undermining the committee's findings from Democratic sources, but aligned with McCarthy's push for transparency amid ongoing debates over the riot's scale—five deaths (one rioter shot by police, four from medical emergencies or natural causes)—and lack of evidence for a pre-planned insurrection involving elected Republicans.

Speakership

Election as Speaker in 2023

Following the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans gained control of the with a slim majority of 222 seats to the Democrats' 213. Kevin McCarthy, who had served as House Minority Leader, was nominated by the Republican conference for Speaker but encountered resistance from approximately 20 conservative members, primarily from the , who demanded reforms to enhance fiscal restraint and procedural accountability. These holdouts, including Representatives and , initially voted for alternatives such as Representatives or , citing McCarthy's past support for bipartisan spending deals and perceived insufficient . The speakership vote commenced on , 2023, the opening day of the 118th , and spanned four days with McCarthy failing to secure the necessary majority in the first 14 ballots. Democrats unanimously supported as their nominee, while the Republican defections prolonged the deadlock, marking the longest speaker since 1859. Intense negotiations occurred off the floor, involving private meetings and reported tensions, as McCarthy worked to flip holdout votes without alienating the broader conference. On the 15th ballot, concluding shortly after midnight on January 7, McCarthy was elected Speaker with 216 votes to Jeffries' 212, as six Republicans voted "present," reducing the threshold needed for victory. To achieve this, McCarthy conceded to key demands, including amending House rules to allow a single member to trigger a motion to vacate the speakership—lowering the previous five-member threshold—and granting conservatives more influence over committee assignments and spending cut proposals through mechanisms like a dedicated subcommittee on fiscal responsibility. These changes aimed to empower the conservative wing to enforce spending limits but were criticized by some as weakening institutional stability. Following his election, McCarthy administered the to House members, enabling the chamber to proceed with legislative business.

Fiscal and Spending Priorities

Upon assuming the speakership on , 2023, McCarthy prioritized reining in federal spending growth amid rising national debt, advocating for discretionary cuts equivalent to returning non-defense spending to 2022 levels and limiting annual increases to 1 percent thereafter. In April 2023, the under his leadership passed H.R. 2811, the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which proposed rescinding unspent relief funds, imposing work requirements for expansion populations, and reducing projected spending by approximately $4.8 trillion over a decade through caps and policy changes, though critics from progressive organizations argued these measures would disproportionately affect low-income programs. Central to McCarthy's fiscal agenda was the June 2023 debt ceiling negotiations with President Biden, culminating in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, enacted on June 3, 2023, which suspended the $31.4 trillion until January 1, 2025, while establishing caps on non-defense —holding it flat for 2024 relative to 2023 enacted levels and allowing a 1 percent increase for 2025—projected by the to save $1.5 trillion over ten years. The legislation also rescinded $1.4 billion in IRS enforcement funding from the 2022 , repealed certain clean energy rebate programs, and expanded work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents in the , measures Republican leaders hailed as advancing fiscal restraint without touching Social Security or Medicare benefits or raising taxes. McCarthy's House advanced a fiscal year 2024 resolution in 2023 calling for $4.5 trillion in overall spending reductions over the decade, emphasizing energy production to lower costs and reallocations, though passage of individual appropriations bills stalled amid internal GOP divisions requiring near-unanimous support for over $1 trillion in measures. In September 2023, to avert a , he initially proposed a incorporating spending cuts and policy riders on enforcement but ultimately supported a clean extension through November 17, 2023, after resistance from conservative factions. These efforts reflected McCarthy's commitment to baseline budgeting reforms and statutory spending controls, even as compromises diluted deeper cuts sought by fiscal hawks.

Investigations and Oversight Achievements

During his tenure as Speaker, Kevin McCarthy prioritized congressional oversight of the executive branch, directing committees to investigate alleged abuses of power, foreign influence operations, and policy failures through subpoenas, hearings, and document production. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee, under Chairman James Comer, issued over 50 subpoenas and held more than 130 hearings in 2023, compelling testimony from over 100 government officials and revealing financial records tied to executive actions. These efforts focused on empirical evidence of irregularities, such as payment flows and research funding discrepancies, rather than unsubstantiated narratives. A central achievement was the formal impeachment inquiry into President , authorized by McCarthy on September 12, 2023, following Oversight Committee probes into the Biden family's business dealings. Bank records subpoenaed in 2023 documented approximately $20 million in transfers to Biden family members and associates via roughly 20 shell companies, including payments from foreign entities in , , and , prompting criminal referrals to the Department of Justice against and for false statements to . Hearings featured whistleblower testimony alleging interference in IRS investigations of 's tax matters, highlighting delays and reassignments of case agents. McCarthy established the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government in January 2023, chaired by , to examine alleged politicization of federal agencies. The panel's hearings, starting February 2023, reviewed FBI communications labeling school board meeting concerns as threats and analyzed the , which exposed government pressures on platforms to suppress content on policies and the Hunter laptop story prior to the 2020 election. These disclosures led to proposed curbing federal censorship of , grounded in declassified documents and executive branch correspondences. Oversight extended to public health origins and border enforcement. In March 2023, Oversight hearings advanced evidence supporting a lab-leak origin for from the , including funding of via , which faced debarment for compliance failures. Border security probes in 2023 featured testimony from U.S. Customs and Border Protection chiefs documenting record encounters exceeding 2.4 million in fiscal year 2023, attributing surges to policy shifts like the end of Title 42 expulsions. Additional inquiries targeted waste in pandemic relief programs, identifying billions in fraud through improper unemployment claims. These actions, while yielding no legislative convictions, produced amplifying transparency on executive .

Bipartisan Dealings and Internal Rebellions

During his speakership, McCarthy pursued bipartisan agreements to address fiscal deadlines, most notably negotiating the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 with President Biden to avert a debt ceiling default. The agreement, finalized on May 27, 2023, suspended the debt limit until January 1, 2025, imposed discretionary spending caps limiting growth to 1% for fiscal year 2024 and 1% for 2025, rescinded approximately $30 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief funds, and clawed back $1.4 billion allocated for IRS hiring under the Inflation Reduction Act. The House passed the bill on May 31, 2023, by a 314-117 vote, with 149 Democrats joining most Republicans in support, reflecting McCarthy's reliance on cross-party votes to secure passage amid opposition from 71 House Republicans who viewed the cuts as insufficient. Senate approval followed on June 1, 2023, by 63-36, and Biden signed it into law on June 2, 2023. In late September 2023, facing an impending , McCarthy again turned to bipartisan support after a party-line failed 232-198 on September 29, lacking the votes from conservative holdouts demanding steeper spending cuts and policy riders. He then advanced a clean on September 30, 2023, extending funding through November 17, 2023, without additional restrictions, which passed 335-91 with unanimous Democratic backing and 209 Republican yes votes. This maneuver preserved government operations but intensified internal GOP divisions, as McCarthy bypassed the Rules Committee process typically used to enforce , prompting accusations from hardliners that he prioritized institutional stability over conservative priorities. These bipartisan efforts fueled rebellions within the , particularly from the , which had extracted concessions during McCarthy's protracted January 2023 speaker election, including lowering the motion-to-vacate threshold to a single member. Post-debt ceiling deal, a subset of members, including Representatives and , publicly criticized McCarthy for compromising too readily, with some floating threats of ouster in June 2023, though no formal challenge materialized then. Tensions peaked after the September funding vote, when Representative filed a on October 2, 2023, citing McCarthy's "dealings with Democrats" as a betrayal of campaign pledges. The motion passed on October 3, 2023, 216-210, with eight Republicans—Gaetz, , , , , , , and —joining all Democrats in support, marking the first mid-term speaker removal in U.S. . McCarthy attributed the revolt to a small faction's disruption, arguing it hindered legislative progress on issues like border security and energy production.

Ouster by House Republicans

On October 2, 2023, Representative of introduced a privileged motion to declare the office of Speaker of the House vacant, targeting Kevin McCarthy amid escalating tensions within the Republican conference. The move followed McCarthy's passage of a on September 30, 2023, to fund the government through mid-November and avert a shutdown, which relied on Democratic votes after conservative holdouts blocked a party-line alternative. Gaetz accused McCarthy of violating informal agreements with the House Freedom Caucus, including commitments to deeper spending cuts and opposition to certain Biden administration policies, framing the action as accountability for perceived fiscal irresponsibility. The House voted on the motion the following day, October 3, 2023, resulting in a 216–210 tally to oust McCarthy—the first successful removal of a Speaker by floor vote in U.S. . All 208 voting Democrats supported the resolution, joined by eight Republicans: Gaetz, (AZ), (CO), (MO), (AZ), (OH), (TN), and (CA). McCarthy's ouster was facilitated by House rules adopted in January 2023, which lowered the threshold for filing a motion to vacate from requiring support by the majority party leader to allowing any single member to force a vote, a concession McCarthy made to secure his initial speakership amid internal divisions. Conservative critics, including Gaetz and members of the , contended that McCarthy's bipartisan maneuvers, such as the debt ceiling compromise earlier in 2023 and the recent funding bill, undermined Republican priorities on reducing federal spending and reining in executive actions on and . McCarthy countered that the challenge was driven by personal vendettas rather than substantive policy disputes, specifically pointing to Gaetz's opposition as retaliatory and lacking a viable alternative plan for operations. The narrow Republican majority of 221–212 at the time amplified the impact of the eight defections, highlighting fractures between and hardline factions within the party.

Post-Congressional Activities

Resignation from Congress

On December 6, 2023, Kevin McCarthy announced his resignation from the U.S. House of Representatives in an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal, stating he would depart at the end of the year to "serve America in new ways." The decision came approximately two months after his removal as Speaker on October 3, 2023, via a motion to vacate led by fellow Republicans, including Representative Matt Gaetz. In his statement, McCarthy reflected on his two-decade tenure in , emphasizing achievements such as advancing conservative priorities on spending restraint and oversight, while expressing continued commitment to Republican goals outside the . He cited the need to avoid a prolonged vacancy in his 20th congressional district seat during the upcoming cycle, noting that resigning by year's end would allow for a special in 2024 rather than leaving it unfilled until January 2025. McCarthy had initially rejected resignation rumors in early October 2023, affirming his intent to remain in and support the Republican majority. McCarthy formally submitted his resignation letter to California Governor on December 19, 2023, effective December 31, 2023, vacating the seat he had held since 2007. The move prompted a special on , 2024, for the Republican-leaning district, which includes parts of the Central Valley, and drew endorsements from McCarthy for potential successors amid speculation about his future political influence. His departure reduced the Republican majority to a slim two-seat edge, highlighting ongoing internal party tensions.

Ongoing Political Engagements and Endorsements

Following his resignation from Congress in December 2023, McCarthy endorsed for president on December 8, 2023, stating his support despite past tensions and expressing willingness to serve in a potential Trump administration. In House races, McCarthy backed several Republican candidates in 2024 primaries, including in Illinois's 12th district, in West Virginia's 2nd district, and Aaron Dimmock in Florida's 1st district as a counter to allies of his ouster orchestrators. He also joined efforts to defeat Representative in his June 2024 primary, aligning with Trump against members viewed as disruptive to party unity. McCarthy established the Strategic Majority PAC post-resignation, which in October 2024 initiated ad campaigns supporting three Republican incumbents in competitive districts, including in . Through affiliated super PACs like America Fund, he disbursed $14 million to Republican candidates across cycles, prioritizing those aligned with institutional party goals over insurgent challengers. In August 2025, McCarthy informed 's Republican congressional delegation of plans to raise $100 million for Republican efforts, focusing on maintaining seats amid demographic and electoral pressures. By October 2025, McCarthy intensified opposition to Democratic-led in , vowing personal in and against Proposition 50, which would alter independent commission rules to favor incumbents; however, intra-party tensions have hindered progress, with some Republicans questioning the initiative's viability. He maintains visibility through media commentary on and congressional dynamics, including critiques of Democratic strategies during the October 2025 standoff. These activities underscore McCarthy's shift to external influence operations aimed at bolstering moderate Republican control in the .

Political Ideology and Positions

Economic and Fiscal Conservatism

Kevin McCarthy has consistently advocated for reducing federal government spending and enforcing fiscal discipline through mechanisms like debt ceiling negotiations. In April 2023, as House Speaker, he advanced the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which proposed raising the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion while implementing spending cuts estimated at $4.8 trillion over a decade, primarily through caps on non-defense and reforms to programs like via stricter work requirements. This approach reflected his view of the national debt—exceeding $31 trillion at the time—as a "ticking " necessitating proactive cuts rather than unconditional borrowing increases. McCarthy's extended to reclaiming unspent funds and imposing work requirements, as evidenced in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which he negotiated with President Biden to avert default. The deal included $1.5 trillion in spending caps for the next decade, recovery of approximately $30 billion in unallocated relief funds, and enhanced work mandates for able-bodied adults in programs like SNAP and TANF, measures praised by conservative groups for curbing waste and promoting self-reliance. He defended these as essential offsets to borrowing, arguing that unchecked deficits—projected to add trillions under prior baselines—erode by crowding out private investment and inflating future tax burdens. On taxation, McCarthy supported supply-side policies emphasizing rate reductions to stimulate growth. He played a key role in passing the of 2017, which lowered the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and individual rates across brackets, while doubling the ; proponents, including McCarthy, credited it with boosting GDP growth to 2.9% in and repatriating over $1 trillion in overseas profits. He has opposed broad tariffs, favoring and tax relief over to enhance competitiveness, as stated in his 2016 remarks declining endorsement of proposed duties that could raise consumer costs. McCarthy's positions prioritize market-driven incentives, critiquing excessive regulation—such as environmental mandates—as barriers to energy production and job creation in sectors like California's Central Valley agriculture.

National Security Stance

McCarthy has consistently advocated for a robust U.S. military posture emphasizing deterrence against adversaries such as and , while supporting aid to allies under conditions of accountability and strategic alignment with American interests. As House Speaker, he prioritized investments in through efficient defense spending, pledging in his 2022 "Commitment to America" to defend U.S. interests without unchecked expansions that could strain fiscal resources. Regarding China, McCarthy has taken a firm stance against Beijing's territorial ambitions, exemplified by his April 5, 2023, meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at the Reagan Presidential Library in California, despite explicit warnings from Chinese officials against such engagement. During the meeting, he called for sustained U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, deepened economic ties, and promotion of shared democratic values to counter Chinese influence. This action underscored his rejection of Beijing's dictates on U.S. diplomatic scheduling, aligning with a broader Republican emphasis on Taiwan's defense amid rising cross-strait tensions. On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, McCarthy expressed support for aiding to counter Russian aggression, comparing Vladimir Putin's invasion on October 3, 2023, to Adolf Hitler's tactics and insisting that must withdraw from Ukrainian territory. In a May 1, 2023, exchange with a Russian reporter in , he rebuked Moscow's actions, stating, "I do not support what your country has done to ; I do not support your killing of the children either," while affirming U.S. commitment to defeating without providing "blank checks." He advocated for oversight in aid packages, including guarantees for advanced weaponry delivery, reflecting a balance between ally support and domestic fiscal constraints amid GOP debates. McCarthy demonstrated strong pro-Israel positions, visiting the country over a dozen times and selecting it as the destination for his first official overseas trip as Speaker in 2023, where he addressed the and reaffirmed U.S.- security cooperation. Following Hamas's October 7, 2023, attacks, he urged the evacuation of American citizens from , the rescinding of $6 billion in funds from a prior Iran prisoner swap deal to deny resources to terrorists, and prioritized rescuing U.S. hostages. In terms of defense policy, McCarthy backed increased military readiness but tied it to spending reforms, negotiating deals during his Speakership bid to cap non-defense while protecting priorities, though facing resistance from fiscal hawks seeking deeper cuts. He led a 2016 House advancing national security legislation post-terror attacks, focusing on s like Islamist extremism, and criticized perceived vulnerabilities, such as labeling Rep. a " " due to alleged Chinese intelligence ties.

Social and Cultural Views

McCarthy, a Baptist who attends Valley Baptist Church in , has publicly identified as a Christian and advocated for religious liberties, including protections for the of individuals opposed to funding or participating in abortions. On abortion, McCarthy opposes taxpayer funding and has voted to prohibit federal health insurance plans from covering the procedure. He sponsored the in 2020 to require medical care for infants born alive after failed s. In 2022, he expressed support for a national 15-week limit. His positions earned a 100% rating from the , though early in his career as a assemblyman in 2003, he was characterized as supporting most abortion rights while opposing public funding. McCarthy defines marriage as between one man and one woman, opposing civil unions and voting against measures to redefine it to include same-sex couples. In 2022, he voted against the , which codified , prioritizing religious exemptions despite acknowledging it as settled law. He has opposed federal prohibitions on based on . Regarding transgender policies, McCarthy backed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in 2023, which prohibits females from competing in female categories. He supported parents' bills enhancing transparency on curricula, including restrictions on changes without . In , McCarthy favors , including vouchers and D.C. opportunity scholarships, alongside and public display of the Ten Commandments to uphold . On gun rights, McCarthy upholds Second Amendment protections and voted against universal background checks for firearm sales in 2019. For crime, he endorses the death penalty and harsher penalties for offenders.

Personal Life

Family and Relationships

McCarthy was born on January 26, 1965, in , to Owen McCarthy Jr., an assistant with the Bakersfield , and Roberta McCarthy, a homemaker. His family maintained a tradition in , with his uncle Tom McCarthy also serving as an assistant . McCarthy met his future wife, Judy Wages, while they were students at . The couple married in 1992 and have remained together for over three decades. They have two children: a son named Connor and a named Meghan. Judy McCarthy has largely maintained a low public profile, though she has occasionally shared family photos and supported her husband's career through events and fundraising activities.

Public Persona and Interests

McCarthy cultivates an affable public persona, characterized by his ability to forge personal connections across party lines through informal office gatherings featuring takeout food and discussions. This relational approach has earned him a reputation as a pragmatic dealmaker rather than an ideological purist, with Republican colleagues noting his preternatural skill in building alliances. However, some Washington observers, including veteran journalists, have critiqued him as intellectually lightweight, a perception McCarthy attributes to being underestimated due to his approachable style and occasional discomfort in . In his personal habits, McCarthy emphasizes fitness, regularly engaging in P90X workouts and biking along the Rock Creek Park trails in He reflects a West Coast casual demeanor, often appearing in slacks and flip-flops at events like the congressional game. A lifelong fan, McCarthy has voiced strong support for the sport, criticizing Major League Baseball's decisions in 2021 as yielding to external pressures. His early entrepreneurial venture included opening Kevin O's deli with his father, funded initially by $5,000 in winnings at age 19, which he used to support his college education. McCarthy's work ethic extends to austere personal practices, such as sleeping on a couch in his office to maintain focus and avoid a lavish D.C. lifestyle. In high school, he played on the football team, though he was not an academic standout. These elements underscore a rooted in Midwestern-influenced grit from his Bakersfield upbringing, prioritizing relationships, physical , and practical ambition over ostentatious displays.

References

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  158. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2023/08/17/mccarthys-new-headache-pro-ukraine-republicans-00111678
  159. https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1711103027719930142
  160. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-mccarthy-holds-news-conference-after-addressing-israeli-parliament
  161. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhnSAVx0pQk
  162. https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5087791/house-speaker-rep-mccarthy-remarks-israel
  163. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/06/mccarthy-senate-gop-defense-budget-ukraine-00100425
  164. https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/01/06/mccarthy-weighing-75b-defense-budget-cut-in-quest-for-speakership/
  165. https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/congressman-kevin-mccarthy-leading-national-security-task-force
  166. https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-12-05/mccarthy-johnson-religion-baptist-congress-house-speaker
  167. https://rollcall.com/2014/06/20/kevin-mccarthy-to-religious-conservatives-proud-to-be-a-christian/
  168. https://cc.org/leader-mccarthy-delivers-floor-speech-defending-religious-liberty/
  169. https://www.ontheissues.org/ca/kevin_mccarthy.htm
  170. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/us/snplus/news/2022/06/24/republican-mccarthy-congress-abortion-roe-v-wade
  171. https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/28918/kevin-mccarthy?categoryId=2&type=V%2CS%2CR%2CE%2CF%2CP
  172. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/24/kevin-mccarthys-pro-life-position-an-evolution-or-straight-line/
  173. https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/editorials/article263660758.html
  174. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3880174-school-culture-wars-fuel-top-house-gop-bill/
  175. https://www.salon.com/2023/09/22/childhoods-end-sweet-innocent-kevin-mccarthy-faces-the-flames/
  176. https://people.com/who-is-judy-mccarthy-kevin-mccarthy-wife-8347809
  177. https://www.the-sun.com/news/9246868/kevin-mccarthy-kids/
  178. https://www.facebook.com/kevinomccarthy/posts/some-of-the-family-photos-my-wife-judy-provided-to-bakersfield-life-magazine-for/10152992554746103/
  179. https://www.cnn.com/2014/06/19/politics/kevin-mccarthy-5-things
  180. https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/top-10-important-things-know-speaker-mccarthy-rcna64934
  181. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/06/03/kevin-mccarthy-washington-media-taboo-intelligence-00036894
  182. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/speakermccarthy_ive-been-a-lifelong-baseball-fan-but-major-activity-6784115523039834112--rxR
  183. https://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/kevin-mccarthy-house-speaker-214510
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