Kevin McCarthy

Personal details

Full name

Kevin Owen McCarthy

Born

January 26, 1965 · Bakersfield, California

Parents

Owen McCarthy Jr. (fire department official); Roberta McCarthy

Education

Bakersfield High School (1983); Bakersfield College (attended); California State University Bakersfield, B.S. (1989), M.B.A. (1994)

Political party

Republican

Spouse

Judy Wages McCarthy (m. 1992)

Children

Connor and Meghan

Public service

California Assembly (2002–2007); U.S. House (2007–2023); House speaker (2023)

Early life, family and business

McCarthy was raised in Bakersfield. His father worked for the Bakersfield Fire Department and his mother was a homemaker. McCarthy attended Bakersfield College and established a small delicatessen before earning a bachelor’s and an MBA at California State University, Bakersfield. He married Judy Wages; they have two children.

Political and congressional career

McCarthy worked for California Representative Bill Thomas from 1987 to 2002 and was elected to the California Assembly in 2002. In the House he served as Republican whip, majority leader and minority leader, then won the speakership in January 2023. He was removed from the speakership in October and resigned from Congress in December 2023.

Relationship to congressional caucuses

McCarthy served in House Republican leadership while the House Freedom Caucus formed in 2015 and challenged aspects of its leadership. The official 2015 founders list does not include McCarthy; he should not be described as a founder or member on that basis. His work in leadership included service under Speaker John Boehner.

Related entries

• John Boehner

References

1. U.S. House History and Archives biography
2. McCarthy campaign — family and small-business biography
3. Biographical profile with parental identities
4. Pew Research Center — Freedom Caucus 2015