Kevin McCarthy was axed as Speaker of the US House of Representatives on Tuesday, October 3. Mr McCarthy was voted out of office. It has happened for the first time in 234 years.
A resolution “to vacate the office of the speaker" was backed by the House with a 216-210 vote setting the stage for an unprecedented contest to replace Mr McCarthy a year before the presidential election.
"The reason Kevin McCarthy went down today is because nobody trusts him. Kevin McCarthy has made multiple contradictory promises, and when they all came due, he lost," Florida conservative Matt Gaetz said after the vote.
Here are five facts about Kevin McCarthy:
Kevin McCarthy was born on January 26, 1965, in Bakersfield, California. Even before he turned 21, he used $5,000 from a state lottery win to start his own deli called Kevin O's. He later sold the deli in 1987.
Mr McCarthy graduated from California State University in Bakersfield in 1989, where he held the position of chair for the California Young Republicans. Starting in 1987, he began interning at the district office of Rep. Bill Thomas, who was the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee at that time. Over time, McCarthy progressed to the role of Thomas's district director.
In 2006, Mr McCarthy easily won the congressional seat left vacant by the retirement of Bill Thomas. Given the limited competition he faced in the election, Mr McCarthy generously donated a significant portion of the $1 million he had raised to support Republican candidates nationwide. Recognizing his influence and capabilities, GOP leaders chose Mr McCarthy to represent the freshmen on the Republican Steering Committee.
Mr McCarthy, along with GOP Representatives Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan, co-authored ‘Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders' a book published in 2010. This book provided insights into the Republican agenda as they approached the midterm elections, showcasing a new wave of conservative leadership.
Kevin McCarthy has been married to Judy McCarthy since 1992. They live in Bakersfield with their two children — Connor and Meghan.
Read| After Speaker Kevin McCarthy's Removal, What's Next For US House?
