Kevin McCarthy (California politician)

Kevin Owen McCarthy is an American politician serving as House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. He previously served as House Majority Leader under Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan from 2014 to 2019. McCarthy served on the staff of Congressman Bill Thomas from 1987 to 2002. He then served in the California State Assembly from 2002 to 2006, the last two years as Minority Leader.

About Kevin McCarthy (California politician) in brief

Kevin Owen McCarthy is an American politician serving as House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. He previously served as House Majority Leader under Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan from 2014 to 2019. McCarthy is the first Republican in his immediate family, as his parents were members of the Democratic Party. McCarthy was born in Bakersfield, California, the son of Roberta Darlene, a homemaker, and Owen McCarthy, an assistant city fire chief. McCarthy served on the staff of Congressman Bill Thomas from 1987 to 2002. He then served in the California State Assembly from 2002 to 2006, the last two years as Minority Leader. McCarthy entered the Republican primary for California’s 22nd District after his former boss, Bill Thomas, retired in 2006. He won the general election with 70. 7% of the vote. In 2012, McCarthy’s district was renumbered as the 23rd District. In 2016, McCarthy won re-election to a sixth term. In 2018, McCarthy was elected as House minority leader, fending off a challenge to his right from Jim Jordan of Ohio. He is the leader of the House Republicans as minority leader. He was appointed to the Steering Committee of the Republican National Committee as a freshman congressman in 2007. He served as chairman of the California Young Republicans and the Young Republican National Federation from 1999 to 2001. He has been the U.S. Representative for California’s 23rd congressional district since 2007. McCarthy won his first election in 2000, as a Kern Community College District trustee.

He became House Majority Whip from 2011 until August 2014, when he was elected House Majority leader to replace the outgoing Eric Cantor, who was defeated in his primary election. He ran for Speaker in 2015 but dropped out of the race in favor of Paul Ryan. McCarthy also unsuccessfully ran against fellow Californian Nancy Pelosi in the 2019 Speakership election and also in the 2021 election against the same candidate. In 2015, he was re-elected to an eighth term with 62 percent of vote, with Democratic challenger Kim Mangone receiving 37.9 percent. In 2017, he won a fourth term with 73. 2% of vote vs. 26. 8% for independent, No Party Preference opponent, Terry Phillips. In his bid for a fifth term, McCarthy faced a Democratic challenger for the first time since his initial run for the seat, Raul Garcia, but he was unopposed for a second term. The district, numbered as the 22nd district from 2007 to 2013, includes large sections of Kern and Tulare counties, as well as part of the Quartz Hill community in northwest Los Angeles County. It became somewhat more compact, losing its share of the Central Coast while picking up large parts of Tulare County. In 2010, McCarthy became the Republican Chief Deputy Whip from 2009 to 2011. When the Republicans lost their majority in the 2018 midterm elections, he became the first California Republican to hold the post. He was elected to House leadership in his second term as Republican Chief deputy Whip in January 2019.

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