The November 2022 election may not have lived up to the expectations of a national repudiation of President Biden, but two major highlights of the election should be widely celebrated. Governor Ron DeSantis delivered a momentous red wave in Florida, and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy led an impressive national campaign to Take Back the House.
Salem Media Group has one of the largest media platforms serving the center-right population interested in news, opinion, faith and culture. Our audiences are highly informed and often very active in the political process. In this context our talk hosts, commentators, news personalities and company leaders have a great deal of interaction with politicians and leading conservative influencers. One of the notable leaders I have had an opportunity to watch grow into his roles over the past two decades is Kevin McCarthy, who will prove to be one of the most effective Speakers of the House. This is due to his very capable leadership skills, strategic vision and his shrewd ability to move a conservative agenda in a highly complex and divided political arena.
Many people were instrumental in the success of Republican victories that led to control of the House of Representatives, but if there is one person who deserves the most credit for those efforts, it is Kevin McCarthy.
As minority leader over the past two election cycles, McCarthy has done an outstanding job of recruiting the best and most electable candidates. He raised the necessary resources to help them win. Despite Republican losses of the White House and a Senate majority in the 2020 election, McCarthy was able to do the impossible: secure a net gain of 14 seats in the House. His fundraising prowess brought in over $100 million to that election cycle, more campaign funds than his two predecessors combined. The momentum of those victories, and McCarthy’s hands-on efforts to make sure the byzantine, post census House district reapportionment process was not manipulated by Democrats to their advantage, set the stage for Republicans to take back the House this year. Once again, McCarthy sought out and recruited an outstanding group of candidates - including the most women and minority candidates in Republican election history. He was able to help raise an astonishing amount of money, blowing all records with almost a half billion dollars, for Republican efforts to recapture the House. On election day 2022, McCarthy’s efforts and years of hard work paid off — he delivered a Republican Majority.
Since his early days in the California legislature to his years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy’s voting record has always been a solid, informed, center-right position on a full range of issues that matter most of the conservative community. As the leader of a large and diverse Republican caucus, he’s built a consensus within the membership. This is is no easy task. Leading a caucus of over 200 members on a variety of complex issues requires the good will of almost every Republican, and that requires at least listening to all perspectives.
As I have watched Kevin McCarthy over the decades, particularly the last several years, I have seen tremendous growth in his ability to forge that consensus and move a conservative agenda in a challenging political arena. There is no question that some of the past House leadership on the Republican side deserve the label RINO, but applying that label to Kevin McCarthy is just simply wrong and ill informed. There are some voices in the conservative movement that unduly criticize both Leader McCarthy and Senate Leader McConnell without giving full consideration to the challenges of leading multiple factions that make up a caucus. Both leaders’ personal voting records are solid conservative, but that doesn’t always immediately translate into broader conservative victories. Politics is the art of the possible. Pragmatic consideration can lead to a minor victory when major victories are not attainable. As President Reagan famously said, “I’d rather get 80 percent of what I want than go over the cliff with my flags flying."
As Speaker, McCarthy will occasionally come under fire for not pushing an agenda as far as some on the Right would like to see, but it is important for us to remember that as Speaker, he will be in the best position to understand what’s possible to achieve under the given circumstances. I have full confidence that he will lead with the best intentions to advance a center-right agenda. His leadership will bring more opportunity to make America great as Republicans win additional seats in 2024 and win back the White House.
As the Executive Chairman and co-founder of Salem Media Group, I am pleased to say that Kevin McCarthy has my full confidence and is the right person to lead the conservative legislative agenda by implementing the Commitment to America. The entire Republican caucus should rally around their leader and help him take back America.
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