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Kevin McCarthy

Kevin McCarthy (26 January 1965-) was a member of the US House of Representatives (R-CA 22) from 3 January 2007 to 3 January 2013, succeeding Bill Thomas and preceding Devin Nunes, and from CA 23 from 3 January 2013, succeeding Lois Capps. McCarthy also served as Speaker of the House from 7 January to 3 October 2023, succeeding Nancy Pelosi and preceding Mike Johnson.

Biography[]

Kevin McCarthy was born in Bakersfield, California in 1965, the son of two Democratic Party members. In 1995, he became Chairman of the California Young Republicans, and he chaired the Young Republican National Federation from 1999 to 2001. In 2000, he was elected as a trustee of the Kern Community College District, and he was elected to the State Assembly in 2002 and to the US House of Representatives in 2006. He served as the House Republican Chief Deputy Whip from 2009 to 2011, as House Majority Whip from 2011 to 2014, as House Majority Leader from 2014 to 2018, as House Minority Leader from 2018 to 2023, and as Speaker of the House from 7 January to 3 October 2023. McCarthy was a staunch defender of Donald Trump during his December 2019 impeachment trial, but he fell out with Trump over the January 6 coup attempt in 2021; they reconciled a year later, but Trump's continued spiritual leadership of the Republican Party ensured that the Republicans' projected "wave" at the 2022 midterm elections would be reduced to a "splash". McCarthy led his party in winning a net of 9 seats in the House, enabling him to become Speaker, but he only secured the speakership after 15 ballots due to the far-right Freedom Caucus' refusal to support him until he granted them concessions such as committee assignments and the adoption of a rule to allow a single House member to introduce a vote to remove the speaker. This backfired in October 2023 after the far-right wing of his party, angered at his compromises with Democrats to resolve a debt ceiling crisis threatening to shut down the government, moved to vacate the speakership. Led by Matt Gaetz, the far-right engaged in heated floor debates with their comparatively moderate colleagues, and the Democrats - angered at McCarthy's decision to authorize an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden over his son Hunter Biden's business dealings - decided not to give McCarthy the votes needed to survive. The Democrats and the far-right Republicans successfully voted McCarthy out of his speakership on 3 October 2023, making his tenure as Speaker the third-shortest in US history, and making him the first Speaker to be removed during a legislative session.

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