McCarthy graduated from theBakersfield campus ofCalifornia State University.[1][2] He served two terms as a member of theCalifornia 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 LeaderEric Cantor's reelection loss in the 2014 Republican primary, McCarthy was elected majority leader under SpeakerJohn Boehner, a position he retained duringPaul Ryan's speakership. In 2019, after Ryan retired, McCarthy was elected House Minority Leader.[5]
McCarthy was the Republicannominee 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 andBiden administration that led to the2023 debt-ceiling crisis that nearly culminated in a first-ever national default. To resolve the crisis, the parties negotiated theFiscal 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 bipartisancontinuing resolution to avert agovernment shutdown. As a result, Republican CongressmanMatt Gaetz filed amotion to vacate the speakership against McCarthy.[16] Following a largely unprecedented House floor debate between members of the majority party, McCarthy wasvoted out as speaker on October 3, 2023.[17] His tenure was thethird-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
McCarthy was born on January 26, 1965, inBakersfield, 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] ahomemaker. 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 theDemocratic Party.[31][32] He attendedBakersfield 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 theCalifornia State Lottery and subsequently investing these winnings in the stock market.[36][37][38]
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 inMinneapolis in August 2008, which produced the Republican Party Platform for 2008. He was also one of the three founding members of theGOP Young Guns Program.[50] After the2008 elections, he was chosen as chief deputy minority whip, the highest-ranking appointed position in theHouse Republican Conference. His predecessor,Eric Cantor, was named minority whip. McCarthy helped recruit candidates associated with theTea Party movement in the2010 U.S. House elections.[51]
House majority whip
McCarthy at a 2008 oversight hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power
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 theSea 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
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 thatPete Sessions andJeb Hensarling would challenge him, both dropped out, leaving McCarthy a clear path to become majority leader.[54] On June 13, representativeRaul Labrador announced he would also seek the leadership position.[55] On June 19, theRepublican Conference elected McCarthy majority leader.[56][57]
According to theUniversity of Minnesota'sHumphrey 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]
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 theHouse 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 theNaval Air Weapons Station China Lake in McCarthy's Bakersfield-based district, andNaval Air Station Lemoore in California's Kings County.[67]
Unsuccessful 2015 candidacy for speaker of the House
On September 25, 2015,John Boehner decided to resign asspeaker 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'sSean Hannity, McCarthy was asked what Republicans had accomplished in Congress. He replied by talking about theHouse of Representatives' special panel investigation into the2012 Benghazi attack (in which Islamic militants attacked the American diplomatic compound inBenghazi,Libya). Republicans said the purpose of the government-funded committee was purely to investigate the deaths of four Americans.[72] But McCarthy said, "Everybody thoughtHillary 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, RepresentativeWalter B. Jones Jr. had sent a letter to the Republican Conference ChairwomanCathy 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
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 fromJim Jordan ofOhio, 159–43. While as majority leader he had been the second-rankingHouse Republican behind Ryan, as minority leader he was now the leader of the House Republicans.[5][84]
Like Trump, McCarthy supportedMarjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican candidate in 2020 for a U.S. House seat fromnorthwest Georgia; Greene's past racist, anti-Semitic comments and her promotion ofQAnon (a far-rightconspiracy 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 thatJoe 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 theJanuary 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.[45]
In May 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, McCarthy and House Republicans filed a lawsuit to stop the House of Representatives from allowing remoteproxy voting by representatives, a measure that had been introduced under SpeakerNancy 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'sSpeech or Debate Clause.[90]
McCarthy with other congressional leaders in January 2020
In November 2020, in the aftermath of the2020 presidential election, McCarthy insisted onLaura 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]
On January 6, 2021, hours after theattack on the Capitol, McCarthy voted against certifying Biden's win in two states.[102][103]Cook Political Report House editorDave 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 the25th 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 forTrump'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 hisMar-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 thesecond impeachment trial of Donald Trump, CongresswomanJaime 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 theDerek 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-TrumpFreedom Caucus House members attempted to removeLiz Cheney as chair of theHouse 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]
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 RepresentativeJohn 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 LeaderMitch 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, thedelta 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 theHouse 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 theBuild Back Better Act.[129] This record was later broken byHakeem Jeffries on July 3, 2025.
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 the2022 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 the115th 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 toAndy Biggs's 31, but some members of the conference continued to oppose his bid for speaker.
At the start of the118th 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 theDecember 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-wingFreedom 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 since1859.[136][137]
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 March 2023, McCarthy announced he had planned a meeting with the Taiwanese PresidentTsai Ing-wen, in the U.S.[143] He initially declined an invitation from Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy to visitUkraine, saying he opposed giving "blank checks" toUkraine and did not need to visit Ukraine to know whether the money was necessary.[144] The planned meeting with Tsai was condemned by theChinese Communist Party, which threatened to take strong action.[145] McCarthy and Tsai met on April 5 at theRonald Reagan Presidential Library,[146] where he denounced China's threats.[147] The meeting, which was described as a historic first,[148][149] triggereda series of Chinese military exercises near Taiwan, which thePeople'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 leaderChuck Schumer, and Senate minority leaderMitch McConnell invited South Korean PresidentYoon Suk Yeol to address a joint meeting of Congress, scheduled for April 27.[153]
In May 2023, amida debt-ceiling crisis, McCarthy worked closely with President Biden to resolve the issue.[154][155] Members of theFreedom Caucus attempted to persuade McCarthy to make more robust demands in exchange for raising the debt ceiling, but with days until a potentially disastrousdefault, McCarthy did not do so.[156][157] He negotiated theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 that was introduced by Republican representativePatrick 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 PresidentKamala Harris behind Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi as he addresses Congress, June 22, 2023
McCarthy had urged Biden to withdraw the nomination ofJulie Su asUnited States secretary of labor, arguing her controversial record would lead to "potential disastrous ramifications at the federal level".[159]
Amplifyingallegations 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 animpeachment 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 beginan impeachment inquiry, to be led byJames 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 SpeakerNancy Pelosi had changed the process when Democrats pursued thefirst 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 GovernorRon DeSantis. Amid the Republican infighting and in a push to halt legislators' pay during shutdowns, RepresentativeAngie Craig introduced theMCCARTHY (My Constituents Cannot Afford Rebellious Tantrums, Handle Your) Shutdown Act.[166][167]
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, RepresentativeMatt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate the speakership: Gaetz criticized McCarthy for working with Democrats to pass a spending bill which did not includefiscally conservative reforms. Immediately thereafter, an attempt to remove the motion through amotion to table was filed by RepresentativeTom 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, andMatt Rosendale.[176] After the vote, McCarthy announced he would not seek the speakership again.[177]
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 toPatrick McHenry and DemocratSteny 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 SpeakerMike Johnson with campaign finance via his SuperPAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund.[181][182]
Personal life
McCarthy and his wife Judy with their children during the110th 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 theSouthern Baptist Convention.[183]
In October 2015, McCarthy was accused of having an affair with RepresentativeRenee Ellmers.[184] He had unexpectedly dropped out of the race for speaker of the House shortly before the allegations surfaced.[185][186] Days earlier, RepresentativeWalter B. Jones Jr. had sent Republican Conference chairCathy 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]
^Amulti-ballot election lasted for 4 days, with McCarthy assuming office on January 7.House ClerkCheryl Johnson served as the acting presiding officer pursuant to the previous rules of the House.
^abCottle, Michelle (October 26, 2010)."McCarthyism".New Republic. Washington, D.C.:Chris Hughes.Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. RetrievedJune 20, 2014.
^lforeman@bakersfield.com, LAUREN FOREMAN Californian staff writer (April 19, 2014)."He was no star, but McCarthy in Hall of Fame".The Bakersfield Californian.Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. RetrievedJune 16, 2023.
^abcde"Full Biography".Congressman Kevin McCarthy website. U.S. House of Representatives. December 3, 2012. Archived fromthe original on March 19, 2017. RetrievedJune 19, 2014.
^"Members". Congressional Western Caucus.Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. RetrievedJune 25, 2018.
^"Young Guns – About".gopyoungguns.com/. National Republican Congressional Committee.Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. RetrievedJune 19, 2014.
^"Roll Call 10". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. January 6, 2021.Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 27, 2021.
^"Roll Call 11". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. January 7, 2021.Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 27, 2021.
^McCartney, Allison; Parlapiano, Alicia; Wu, Ashley; Zhang, Christine; Williams, Josh; Cochrane, Emily; Murphy, John-Michael (January 6, 2023)."Vote Count: McCarthy Elected House Speaker After 15 Ballots".The New York Times.Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. RetrievedJanuary 16, 2023.
^Cabral, Sam (October 1, 2023)."US House of Representatives considers bill to avoid government shutdown".BBC News.Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. RetrievedOctober 4, 2023.Faced with a rebellion by hard-line Republicans in his party, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy needs support from Democrats ... the hard-liners have tanked efforts by Mr McCarthy to shepherd legislation needed to break the impasse through the House.
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