House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy

Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago
ccadelago@sacbee.com
March 10, 2016 – 3:09 PM

• Majority leader says turnout higher among Republicans
• Says electorate frustrated with President Barack Obama
• Wants House of Representatives to become ‘place of ideas’

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday rejected the possible calamitous effects a Donald Trump nomination could have on the Republican Party, arguing instead that the businessman and political newcomer may improve the chances of GOP House challengers in November.

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Kevin McCarthy’s successful fundraising year was, in some part, due to the idea that he could become the next speaker of the House.

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By Jake Sherman
01/20/16 – 05:18 AM EST

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy raised more than $11 million last year, a sum that places him near the top of the Republican fundraising pyramid on Capitol Hill, according to sources familiar with his operation.

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His rapid rise in House leadership has stalled, but allies including Paul Ryan are standing by him.

By John Bresnahan
11/05/15 – 02:56 PM EST
Updated 11/05/15 04:16 PM EST

For the first time in his political career, Kevin McCarthy has tasted defeat. And for the first time, the House majority leader, who rocketed to No. 2 in leadership faster than many members land a committee chairmanship, is going to have to be content to stay where he is, possibly for years.

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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California leaves a meeting on Capitol Hill. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

Lisa Mascaro
OCtoer 8, 2015

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s stunning decision to drop out of the race to become the next speaker left Republicans in disarray Thursday, threatening to deepen long-standing fractures in the party just as Congress faces a string of fiscal and legislative deadlines.

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Thursday, October 8, 2015 – 05:00 p.m.

The Lou Desmond and Company Show is broadcasting from the Toyota of San Bernardino Recording Studios!

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Congressman Kevin McCarthy

Thursday, October 8, 2015 – 09:30 a.m.

Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) the front-rummer to replace outgoing Speak of the House of Representatives John Boehner (R-Ohio) has withdrawn his name from consideration.

McCarthy had been struggling to amass the necessary 218 republican votes necessary to assume the top spot in the House.

The news comes as an unexpected surprise.

In a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Thursday, Kevin McCarthy expects to secure his party’s nomination as speaker of the House of Representatives. (J. Scott Applewhite-AP)

By Michael Doyle and William Douglas
McClatchy Washington Bureau
October 7, 2015

• Congressional Republicans vote Thursday on House speaker nomination
• A political gaffe undermines McCarthy’s early leadership stature
• Conservatives maneuver for advantage amid leadership changes

Washington —

California’s Kevin McCarthy is poised to become a leader on a short leash, the wounded general of a querulous army.

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The majority leader believes he’s closing in on the 218 votes he needs to succeed John Boehner as speaker.

By Jake Sherman , Anna Palmer and John Bresnahan
10/06/15 – 08:08 PM EDT

With the rest of the House Republican Conference in a state of turmoil, Kevin McCarthy is projecting a sunny sense of confidence going into his first battle for speaker.

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Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah, at a hearing last week, hopes to benefit from a push for new leadership in the House. (Stephen Crowley/The New York Times)

By Jennifer Steinhauer
October 5, 2015

WASHINGTON — Representative Jason Chaffetz, Republican of Utah, said Monday that he presumed that Representative Kevin McCarthy would be nominated as his party’s candidate for House speaker, but would fall short of the votes needed when all lawmakers cast ballots to replace John A. Boehner.

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The last-minute move underscores frustration among some members of the Republican Conference with the current choices.

By Rachael Bade and John Bresnahan
10/02/15 – 01:46 PM EDT

House Oversight and Government Affairs Chairman Jason Chaffetz is planning to run for House speaker, taking on Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in what appears to be a long-shot bid to lead House Republicans, according to multiple sources.

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By Nick Gass
10/02/15 – 08:07 AM EDT

Donald Trump is not sold on Kevin McCarthy as the next speaker of the House, calling into question the California Republican’s negotiating skills and his statement earlier this week regarding the House Select Committee on Benghazi and its effect on the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

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As House speaker, Kevin McCarthy would need to be cautious when using his clout to help California, an expert says. (Jacquelyn Martin / AP)

Politics
By Michael Doyle
mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com
October 1, 2015

• Bakersfield native poised to become second Californian in top House post
• Bringing home the bacon made harder by earmark ban
• Some California clout can be exercised quietly, behind the scenes

WASHINGTON — Bakersfield, Calif., native Kevin McCarthy will get a better salary, a bigger staff and a lot more clout on his state’s behalf when he becomes House speaker, as all in Congress now expect.

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By Carolyn Lochhead
September 30, 2015 at 8:40 AM

House Speaker-in-waiting Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield put his foot in his mouth in a big way Tuesday night in an interview with Sean Hannity in which he directly tied the Benghazi hearings — the longest in congressional history — to Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers.

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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield listens as Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio speaks to reporters Tuesday after a House Republican Conference meeting. McCarthy is widely expected to succeed Boehner as speaker next month. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

By Noah Bierman
September 29, 2015

When Kevin McCarthy spoke at a California Republican convention a few years ago, he regaled the crowd with stories about his tense relationship with Nancy Pelosi: The Democratic leader, he said, greeted him with a sneering “he-llo Kevin” every time she saw him, the way Jerry Seinfeld used to greet his nemesis, Newman.

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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy before speaking about foreign policy at the John Hay Initiative on Monday. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

By Karoun Demirjian
September 28, 2015 at 5:11 PM

The heir apparent for speaker of the House delivered his vision for America’s foreign policy future Monday afternoon and it boils down to this: America should be tougher.

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House Speaker John Boehner flanked by Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

By Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan
09/28/15 – 05:12 AM EDT

• He’s the overwhelming favorite to replace John Boehner but the Freedom Caucus still presents a big hurdle.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy has glided to victory in each of his leadership races — one for majority whip, and two for majority leader — by simply winning the support of more than half the members of the Republican Conference.

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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield)

By Amber Phillips
September 25 at 12:48 PM

Today is John Boehner’s day. Tomorrow could very much belong to Kevin McCarthy.

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Rep. Steve Knight (shown at right in 2014, when he was in the state Legislature, with State Sens. Andy Vidak, left, and Jerry Hill) has raised $432,640 as of June 30, much more than his three Democratic challengers. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

By Jean Merl
July 16, 2015

The elections are more than a year away, but already, front-runners are emerging in some key California congressional contests, and most endangered incumbents are well ahead of their challengers in fundraising, campaign filings show.

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U.S. House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) after a leadership election at a House Republican Conference meeting June 19, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington. | Getty

By Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan
7/14/15 – 5:25 AM EDT

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has raised $9 million for Republicans since the beginning of the year, a hefty haul for the No. 2 Republican, according to an aide.

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Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield last month in Washington. At the time of his election last summer to the No. 2 post in the House, McCarthy had spent fewer than four full terms in Congress. He was the most junior person to reach a top leadership post since the early 19th century. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

By Noah Bierman and Evan Halper
June 5, 2015

Rep. Kevin McCarthy celebrated his first election to Congress at an In-N-Out Burger, sipping sodas from paper cups at Formica tables with his wife and children. The understated evening fit perfectly into the Bakersfield Republican’s image as the son of a firefighter who started his first business, a deli, with proceeds from a winning lottery ticket.

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Photo by John Shinkle (Politico)

By Katie Glueck
3/22/15 – 11:47 AM EDT

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Sunday defended a move by House Republicans to urge Hillary Clinton to turn over her private email server to an independent third party for investigation.

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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s list of policy goals in the coming year includes stopping high-speed rail and pulling Obamacare “out by the roots.” (Toby Jorrin/McClatchy Washington Bureau)

Californians to Watch in 2015
By Christopher Cadelago
ccadelago@sacbee.com
12/26/2014 9:38 PM

Eight years ago, then-Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy was leading fellow Republicans in Sacramento, clawing for relevance in a Capitol dominated by Democrats.

Now McCarthy is the second most powerful member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

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McCarthy

By Josh Richman
Friday, December 12th, 2014 at 11:57 am

A conservative super PAC is trashing House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, for helping pass the $1.1 trillion “CRomnibus” spending bill, which some say doesn’t do enough to roll back President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
12/11/2014 7:19 PM

As the most severe winter storm in at least a half-decade bore down on California on Tuesday, 3,000 miles away in Washington, the House voted, largely along party lines, for a California drought relief bill.

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Kevin McCarthy is pictured. | AP Photo

By LAUREN FRENCH | 11/7/14 10:19 AM EST

Kevin McCarthy has announced his intention to seek his first full term as House majority leader.

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By JAKE SHERMAN | 10/26/14 8:22 PM EDT

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy landed here from Los Angeles with a bang: he bluntly warned that Republicans will blow the presidency in 2016 if they don’t make some radical changes – and quick.

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Two Democrats are mounting their first re-election campaigns as GOP Rep. Ken Calvert seeks a 12th term.

Published: Oct. 20, 2014 Updated: 5:03 p.m.

Some are defending their seats for the first time. Others have been in Congress for years.

Regardless, incumbents in the 2014 Inland congressional races are favored to win re-election to two-year terms. They’ve raised more money than their challengers and, with one exception, represent districts friendly to their parties.

To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

By JAKE SHERMAN | 8/8/14 4:13 PM EDT Updated: 8/8/14 5:05 PM EDT

House Republicans will package together all their energy and “jobs” legislation and send it to the Senate, an election-year move to try to highlight a contrast with Democrats.

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Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, last week became one of two people who primarily shape the legislative agenda for the Republican-controlled House. He raises big funds for GOP election campaigns around the country and will try to tape up a sometimes-fractured Republican Party.

BY CATHY TAYLOR / WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF
Published: Aug. 2, 2014 Updated: Aug. 3, 2014 8:33 a.m.

WASHINGTON – Rep. Kevin McCarthy marked the start of his tenure as the No. 2 in House leadership with a prayer and a tweet: “Humbled & blessed to have my friend Pastor Roger Spradlin of Bakersfield deliver the opening prayer this morning.”

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jul. 29, 2014 – 9:27 pm
Last Modified: Wednesday, Jul. 30, 2014 – 12:06 am

Kevin McCarthy may be a one-man refutation of the old adage that “nice guys always finish last.”

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By MIA SHAW
July 1, 2014

Kevin McCarthy, the newly minted House Majority Leader, rose speedily through the GOP ranks during his time as a California legislator – and used political instincts he honed in Sacramento to achieve power in Congress.

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McCarthy’s promotion to House majority leader means more state influence.

BY DAVID HOOD / WASHINGTON BUREAU
Published: June 21, 2014 Updated: 9:18 p.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Despite the coming exodus of three stars from California’s delegation, Kevin McCarthy’s elevation to the second-most powerful position in Congress marks a historical peak in the Golden State’s political clout.

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As GOP leader in the Calif. House, Kevin McCarthy gave flowers to spouses and rewarded lawmakers for touch votes. (Drew Angerer/EPA)

Politics

By Aaron C. Davis
June 21, 2014 at 7:56 PM

During his first year as the Republican leader in the California State Assembly, Kevin McCarthy sent flowers to the wife of a fellow GOP lawmaker in honor of the couple’s anniversary. The woman called her husband gushing over the bouquet — only to learn that he did not deserve the credit.

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By Michael Doyle
McClatchy Washington Bureau
Published: Thursday, Jun. 19, 2014 – 3:17 pm
Last Modified: Thursday, Jun. 19, 2014 – 10:27 pm

WASHINGTON — Republicans in the House of Representatives on Thursday elected Bakersfield, Calif., native Kevin McCarthy as majority leader, giving California’s Central Valley a leg up on Capitol Hill.

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McCarthy

Thursday, June 19, 2014 – 02:00 p.m.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), as expected, was selected Republican Majority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, Thursday afternnon.

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McCarthy is confident going into Thursday’s election for House Republican majority leader. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

By Matt Fuller
Posted at 5:50 p.m. on June 16, 2014

Raúl R. Labrador is gunning to make Thursday’s House GOP majority leader contest an electoral upset on par with Eric Cantor’s primary loss last week to Dave Brat. But Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy is not just trying to win the race — he wants to make a statement.

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Congressman Kevin McCarthy

Melanie Mason
June 13, 2014

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the leading contender to be the next House majority leader, slammed Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers Friday for striking a budget deal that includes hundreds of millions of dollars for the controversial high-speed rail project.

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By Matt Fuller
Posted at 8:29 p.m. on June 12

Updated 9:49 p.m. | Rules Chairman Pete Sessions of Texas has dropped out of the race to replace Eric Cantor as majority leader, helping clear a path for Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California to ascend to the No. 2 post in the House.

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McCarthy has already solidified support for the majority leader position. | AP Photo

By JAKE SHERMAN, JOHN BRESNAHAN,
ANNA PALMER and LAUREN FRENCH
6/11/14 – 8:09 PM EDT Updated: 6/12/14 – 8:44 AM EDT

On June 19, Kevin McCarthy was scheduled to headline a birthday fundraiser for his friend Eric Cantor on the rooftop of 101 Constitution, a swank office building with sweeping views of the Capitol.

Instead, that day will be all about McCarthy.

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California’s Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) is a top contender to replace Eric Cantor (R-Virginia)

By Robert Costa
June 11, 2014

Midnight had long since passed, but the lights were still on at the Capitol, where House Republicans were already planning — and tensely arguing about — how to move ahead amid the chaos of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s stunning primary loss.

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McCarthy has expressed support for legal status before. | AP Photo

By SEUNG MIN KIM | 1/22/14 9:34 AM EST

The third-ranking House Republican is offering support for a path to legal status that would allow millions of undocumented immigrants in the country to work and pay their taxes.

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The House majority whip from Bakersfield has often been unable to corral the tea party lawmakers he helped elect. But he defends the chaos, saying Congress no longer operates like it used to.

By Evan Halper
October 4, 2013, 9:16 p.m.

WASHINGTON — For the first two years of Barack Obama’s presidency, Rep. Kevin McCarthy traveled the country recruiting and coaching anti-establishment, tea party-backed candidates for the 2010 election.

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Labor unions are trying persuade McCarthy to support a pathway to citizenship.

By JAKE SHERMAN | 8/8/13 4:49 PM EDT

Labor unions say they are going to flood House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy’s Bakersfield, Calif., district on Wednesday, in an attempt to persuade him to support a pathway to citizenship for the nation’s undocumented immigrants.

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Kevin Spacey plays a high-level politician in “House of Cards.” (Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon, Associated Press)

Carla Marinucci and Wyatt Buchanan
Updated 10:37 pm, Sunday, March 10, 2013

There are the old standbys of sex, money and power in politics. But lately there’s a new addiction in the halls of power: a video series – fictional, of course – that stars power-hungry politicians, unethical journalists and a wily political insider who always seems to get what he wants.

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McCarthy

By Torey Van Oot
tvanoot@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Mar. 1, 2013 – 5:45 pm
Last Modified: Saturday, Mar. 2, 2013 – 12:25 am

California’s highest-ranking House Republican has a message for fellow members of the GOP still reeling from November losses: “We can only go up.”

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Carla Marinucci

Carla Marinucci
Updated 11:22 pm, Sunday, January 13, 2013

While California did not determine the outcome of the 2012 presidential election, the state had no shortage of political dramas last year, from the state’s budget woes to the debut of the “top two” primary election ballots that send candidates with the most votes, regardless of political party, to the general election in November.

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McCarthy

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
December 6, 2012 | 4:06 pm

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), the third-highest-ranking Republican in Congress, suggested on Thursday that the federal government should “cut its losses” and not provide any more money for the state’s high-speed rail program.

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THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 20 July 2012 07:26 PM

It’s been a grim couple of weeks for San Bernardino as city officials decided to declare a fiscal emergency and file for bankruptcy due to a cash-flow crisis and budget deficit. Still, even amid serious discussions, the council found a few moments to debate 19th Century military history at its July 10 meeting.

Echoing a phrase used by one public speaker, Councilman Fred Shorett suggested that this could be a “Waterloo opportunity” allowing the city to get its financial house in order.

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McCarthy

By ALEX ISENSTADT | 4/3/12 11:30 PM EDT

As a fast-rising lawmaker early in his congressional career, Kevin McCarthy vigorously cultivated friends in the 87-member Republican freshman class, an effort that catapulted him into one of the most powerful positions in the House.

Now the ambitious California congressman is setting his sights on his home state, looking to rebuild a Republican Party in desperate need of repair.

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U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield

BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.co

Published: 09 January 2012 08:26 PM

SACRAMENTO — Republicans are well-positioned to win two newly drawn congressional swing seats in Inland Southern California this fall, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy said Monday.

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U.S. Rep. David Dreier

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
January 9, 2012

With less than six months to go until the June primary, viable Republican challengers to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein aren’t exactly rushing to file nomination papers.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the No. 3 ranking House Republican, suggested Monday that fellow House Republican David Dreier could be a formidable challenger.

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McCarthy

By Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times
November 23, 2011

California’s proposed bullet train, the nation’s largest public infrastructure project, has become the focus of an intense federal funding battle that could undermine its survival, as Republican leaders in Congress attempt to claw back as much as $3.3 billion in federal grants already approved for the start of construction next year.

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By PE Politics
June 1, 2011 12:40 PM

Inland Southern California’s five-member House delegation voted last night against a measure to lift the nation’s national debt ceiling.

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McCarthy

BY VIC POLLARD, Contributing writer | Sunday, Mar 20 2011 08:11 PM

Last Updated Sunday, Mar 20 2011 08:15 PM

SACRAMENTO – The California Republican Party dealt a major blow Sunday to an effort by the Kevin McCarthy-Mark Abernathy political organization to prevent a merger of two groups of young GOP activists.

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By Michael Doyle
mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com
Published: Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

WASHINGTON – Rep. Kevin McCarthy is a youthful-looking, silver-haired gent still finding his way as California’s highest-ranking GOP lawmaker.

Following some embarrassing new smudges on his Capitol Hill won-loss record, the Republican representing Bakersfield, in California’s southern Central Valley, must demonstrate anew the vote-wrangling skills demanded of him as House majority whip.

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By Michael Doyle
mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com
Published: Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

WASHINGTON – Bakersfield is in, the Bay Area is out. But California as a whole could hold its own in the new Congress that starts Wednesday.

The shifting Capitol Hill currents are summed up in the demotion of soon-to-be former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the ascension of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, as the next House majority whip.

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McCarthy

Politics Blog

Posted By: Joe Garofoli | January 04 2011 at 05:56 PM

Bakersfield — As we told you the other day in our profile, Bakersfield’s own Rep. Kevin McCarthy becomes the House Majority Whip at 9 a.m. (Left Coast time) Wednesday — the No. 3 Republican position. You can watch the swearing-in festivities streamed live here.

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By PE Politics
on November 30, 2010 4:11 PM

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger remains a big supporter of the $787 billion federal stimulus legislation passed by Congress in early 2009.

But many of the governor’s fellow Republicans in Congress, including members of the California delegation, don’t share his enthusiasm.

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Published: Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

It’s not exactly Mega Millions or even Fantasy Five, but it will be a lottery-type atmosphere today when the first eight members of California’s new redistricting commission are chosen.

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Kevin McCarthy went out of his way to campaign for colleagues, something they aren’t likely to forget.

By Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times
November 14, 2010

Reporting from Washington —

Rep. Kevin McCarthy wasn’t content to stay in his Bakersfield district this campaign season. Instead, he traveled to Frog Jump, Tenn., Lake Oswego, Ore., Sioux Falls, S.D., and dozens of other places to help elect fellow Republicans.

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McCarthy

By Dan Morain, Senior editor
dmorain@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010 – 11:00 pm | Page 1E

Visit Kevin McCarthy in his hometown of Bakersfield, and he might take you to one of his favorite lunch spots, the diner at the Westchester Bowl.

Chez Panisse it’s not. But the fish and chips aren’t bad, and Rep. McCarthy is no rube.

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McCarthy

Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield is eyeing the post of majority whip. Others are expected to chair key panels. These moves could boost Democratic-leaning California’s clout among the new majority.

By Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times
November 3, 2010|5:25 p.m.

Reporting from Washington —
Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield launched a bid Wednesday for majority whip, the third-ranking job in the new Republican-controlled House, as Rep. Ed Royce of Fullerton kicked off a campaign for the chairmanship of the Financial Services Committee.

If successful, the moves could further strengthen Democratic-leaning California’s clout among the new GOP majority.

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