Kevin McCarthy (California politician)

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Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy2.jpg
House Majority Whip
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2011
Leader Eric Cantor
Speaker John Boehner
Preceded by Jim Clyburn
Republican Chief Deputy Whip of the United States House of Representatives
In office
January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011
Whip Eric Cantor
Preceded by Eric Cantor
Succeeded by Peter Roskam
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 23rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded by Lois Capps
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 22nd district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by Bill Thomas
Succeeded by Devin Nunes
Minority Leader of the California State Assembly
In office
January 5, 2004 – April 17, 2006
Preceded by Dave Cox
Succeeded by George Plescia
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 32nd district
In office
December 2, 2002 – November 30, 2006
Preceded by Roy Ashburn
Succeeded by Jean Fuller
Personal details
Born (1965-01-26) January 26, 1965 (age 48)
Bakersfield, California
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Judy McCarthy
Children Connor
Meghan
Residence Bakersfield, California
Alma mater California State University, Bakersfield
Religion Baptist
Website Congressman Kevin McCarthy
Majority Whip website
Congressman McCarthy at an oversight hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power.

Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is the Majority Whip of the United States House of Representatives, having served in that position since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he is a U.S. Congressman for California's 23rd congressional district. The district includes most of Bakersfield, as well as most of the Antelope Valley. He previously served two terms in the California State Assembly, including two years as the Republican Floor Leader.

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Early life, education and career[edit]

Born in Bakersfield, California, McCarthy is a fourth-generation resident of Kern County. He proudly boasted in one of his first assembly commercials that "Jeremiah McCarthy's house still stands." McCarthy opened his first business, Kevin O's Deli after winning a few thousand dollars from a lottery ticket (which McCarthy describes as "Subway before there was Subway"), at the age of 19.[1] McCarthy sold the deli to raise money to go to California State University, Bakersfield, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in marketing in 1989 and Master of Business Administration in 1994. McCarthy ran several other small businesses prior to his entry into the political field.

In 1995 McCarthy served as Chairman of the California Young Republicans, Inc.

From 1999 to 2001 McCarthy served as Chairman of the Young Republican National Federation. During this time he supported former Santa Barbara Assemblyman Brooks Firestone for California Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the California Republican Party.

From the late 1990s until 2002, McCarthy served as the District Director for U.S. Congressman Bill Thomas, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

U.S. House of Representatives[edit]

Committee assignments[edit]

Party leadership[edit]

  • Majority Whip (2011–present)
  • Chief Deputy Republican Whip (2009–2011)
  • House Republican Steering Committee

As a freshman, McCarthy was appointed to the Republican Steering Committee. In 2008, Republican Leader John Boehner asked him to serve as Chairman of the Republican Platform Committee during the committee's meetings in Minneapolis in August 2008, which produced the Republican Party Platform for 2008. McCarthy is also one of the three founding members of the GOP Young Guns Program.

After the 2008 elections, McCarthy was chosen as Chief Deputy Minority Whip, the highest-ranking appointed position in the House Republican Caucus. His predecessor, Eric Cantor, was named Minority Whip. On November 17, 2010, he was selected by the House Republican Caucus to be the House Majority Whip in the 112th Congress. In this post, he is the third-ranking House Republican, behind Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor.

After President Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech on January 21, 2013, McCarthy was interviewed on CBS This Morning where he said, "I was hopeful that you'd hear more bipartisanship, I was hoping that we would have a second term different than the first term."[2]

House campaigns[edit]

2006[edit]

McCarthy entered the Republican primary for the 22nd—the real contest in this heavily Republican district—after his former boss, Thomas, announced his retirement. He won the general election with 70.7% of the vote.

2008[edit]

McCarthy won unopposed.

2010[edit]

McCarthy won virtually unopposed, winning 98.8% of the vote, with opposition coming only from a write-in candidate.

McCarthy authored H.R. 1581 Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act of 2011 (Introduced in House - IH) Releases wilderness study areas administered and forest service road-less areas currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management from protection. The bill was widely opposed by environmentalists and died in committee.

Personal life[edit]

McCarthy and his wife Judy have two children. They are lifelong residents of Bakersfield.[3]

In 2000, McCarthy was elected as a Trustee on the Kern Community College District Board.[3] McCarthy also served on the Board of Directors for Community Action Partnership of Kern.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/278472/young-guns-take-facebook-laura-nichols
  2. ^ McCarthy, Kevin (2012-01-22). "GOP: Where Was Obama's Outreach in Inaugural Speech?". CBSNews. 
  3. ^ a b "Biography". Office of Congressman Kevin McCarthy. 
  4. ^ "Community Action Partnership of Kern". Capk.org. Retrieved 2010-09-01. 

External links[edit]

California Assembly
Preceded by
Roy Ashburn
California State Assemblyman
32nd District
December 2, 2002–November 30, 2006
Succeeded by
Jean Fuller
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Bill Thomas
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 22nd congressional district

January 4, 2007–January 3, 2013
Succeeded by
Devin Nunes
Preceded by
Lois Capps
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 23rd congressional district

January 3, 2013–present
Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by
Dave Loebsack
D-Iowa
United States Representatives by seniority
217th
Succeeded by
Jerry McNerney
D-California
Party political offices
Preceded by
Dave Cox
California State Assembly Republican Leader
January 5, 2004–April 17, 2006
Succeeded by
George Plescia
Preceded by
Eric Cantor
Virginia
Chief Deputy Republican Whip
January 3, 2009–January 3, 2011
Succeeded by
Peter Roskam
Illinois
Preceded by
Jim Clyburn
South Carolina
House Majority Whip
January 3, 2011–present
Incumbent