Kevin McCarthy Takes House Minority Leader Position

Richard Moorhead   |  

Nov 14, 2018

California House Representative Kevin McCarthy was elected to the position of Republican House Minority Leader by his caucus on Wednesday morning.

McCarthy had already been serving as House Majority Leader, but the impending loss of the House Speakership by the GOP means that Minority Leader will be the most powerful Congressional position held by House Republicans.

Many had wondered if McCarthy, who was presented as the heir apparent to Paul Ryan for the speakership in the event that House Republicans had managed to maintain control of the chamber, would face a strong challenge from a Freedom Caucus member of the House GOP. McCarthy did in fact face competition for the role from Freedom Caucus stalwart Jim Jordan, but easily beat down the challenge, winning the support of House Republicans for the position in a landslide vote of 159 to 43.

McCarthy’s role in advancing the policy agenda of MAGA and President Trump remains unclear. The administration tacitly consented to his accession as chief House Republican, perhaps with the hopes that he would represent an incremental upgrade over his predecessor, Paul Ryan.

McCarthy has staked out a place for himself by appealing to both traditional Republicans and MAGA-style American nationalists and populists. In one notable policy difference from the mold of traditional House Republican leaders, McCarthy has been vocal about legislative solutions to counteract Silicon Valley Big Tech political censorship and oligarchy.