WASHINGTON (AP) – Rep. Kevin McCarthy has risen to the upper reaches of House leadership mostly on the basis of his people skills and political smarts rather than his policy chops.
The California Republican, who is the overwhelming favorite to succeed John Boehner as speaker, has relied on those skills to navigate the treacherous waters of the fractious GOP conference.
But they won’t change the unpleasant reality of the limits the tea party-driven House confronts in a capital city dominated by a Democratic president – and the resulting frustration for conservatives who stormed Washington on a wave of opposition to President Barack Obama.
Like Boehner, McCarthy is a realist. But conservatives frustrated with Boehner’s willingness to strike deals with Democrats see an ally in McCarthy, who cut his teeth as an aide to powerful former Rep. Bill Thomas, whose seat he easily won in 2006.
“Kevin has done a great job of reaching out to conservatives,” said Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., among those who helped push Boehner out. “It’s fair to say that if Kevin were to run he would be able to draw votes from across the conference.”