‘Trying to address those concerns.’ NC’s Patrick McHenry on the negotiations to elect McCarthy
Rep. Patrick McHenry said his sole focus is on getting Rep. Kevin McCarthy elected as House speaker, not on what it would mean to his own career if McCarthy isn’t.
“I’ve been for Kevin McCarthy for speaker and that’s what I’m continuing to focus on and that’s what I’m working towards,” McHenry told McClatchy outside the House chamber Thursday afternoon.
McHenry, 47, a Republican from Denver, has been floated as a potential House speaker if McCarthy’s nomination falters.
McHenry’s is not a household name in North Carolina, in the way that former Reps. Madison Cawthorn or Mark Meadows made themselves to be, but McHenry has quietly worked his way up the ranks in Republican leadership in Congress.
He was being eyed as a potential candidate for whip this session, but took his name out of the running and was appointed chairman of the financial services committee, a position he’d always wanted.
But McHenry found himself serving as a whip for McCarthy, a California Republican, this week as 21 Republicans have voted against or abstained from voting for McCarthy in numerous votes that began Tuesday afternoon.
McHenry on Dan Bishop
One of a core of 20 dissenters has been Rep. Dan Bishop, a Republican from Charlotte.
“I respect my neighbor and friend Dan Bishop, but we’ve come to different conclusions on this,” McHenry said. “What Dan has expressed is a desire for rules that make this place function. And I think that’s a laudable goal.”
McHenry told McClatchy that he’s in active communication with Bishop, pointing out that Bishop is a leader in the Freedom Caucus. The ultraconservative group is working to block McCarthy’s election.
McHenry said Bishop “has goodwill to come to a reasonable conclusion” so Congress can move forward.
Bishop told reporters Thursday he had tried to negotiate with McCarthy acolytes beginning over the summer but couldn’t get anyone to speak with him. Now he’s looking for something that would give him comfort in casting a vote for McCarthy. He told reporters he wasn’t looking for any gains himself.
On Thursday morning, Bishop stood on the House floor and nominated Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida.
Dissenters’ concerns
The House was in the middle of its eighth vote when McHenry spoke to McClatchy. A nearby reporter asked McHenry if it was time for McCarthy to give up.
“That’s a repeated question I get often and a very awkward question,” McHenry said. “When you have 90% of the votes, the onus should not be placed on the person who has the disproportionate share of the conference.”
McHenry said McCarthy’s opponents want to keep negotiations going and the Democrats are enjoying the show. He said requests to McCarthy from the 20 aren’t demands but a list of problems they want addressed that stem from previous administrations.
Among those concerns, McHenry told McClatchy exclusively, is whether House members can get their bills to the floor and how certain committees work, including the rules committee.
“We’re just trying to address those concerns,” McHenry said. “And working with members and having relationships with members and the ability to communicate is a primary interest.”
As for those back home watching all of this play out, he assures his constituents that what’s happening in Congress will work out.
“In a majoritarian body, eventually a majority is found,” McHenry said.
He added that in an open process, things can look disorganized, but McHenry said similar work has been going on for 100 years. He added that normally, it’s behind closed doors.
“Eventually it will work out,” McHenry said. “That I’m not worried about. Eventually we’ll get to a functional place.”
And McHenry confirmed he believes that place will be a majority vote for McCarthy.
This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 6:19 PM.
