In Roll Call Magazine (the foremost newspaper covering the ‘insider news’ of Capitol Hill), they profile a handful of GOPers (five in the Senate, five in the House) worth keeping an eye on — one of these ten is a Californian… Freshman Kevin McCarthy.
Here is was Roll Call had to say about McCarthy:
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.). In his first weeks in Congress, McCarthy already has shown signs of the same political acumen of his predecessor, Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.): He was tapped to serve on the transition team at the National Republican Congressional Committee, the freshman class elected him as their representative on the powerful GOP Steering Committee, and he landed a seat on the House Administration Committee – a panel once chaired by Thomas before he took over the House Ways and Means Committee. McCarthy’s Bakersfield-area district is a safe Republican bastion, allowing McCarthy the flexibility to raise money for his more vulnerable GOP colleagues. As a candidate, McCarthy made donations to the NRCC and to Republican candidates – a move that never goes unnoticed by leadership. An ally of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), McCarthy also could be a player in the next decennial redistricting process – one of his key issues when he served as the California Assembly’s Senate Minority Leader – as California Republicans attempt to hold onto as many seats as possible in the Democratic-leaning state. And while Thomas was known for his abrasive style, McCarthy, 41, is seen as a kinder, friendlier version of his mentor.
The whole article is linked here, but it requires a subscription to Roll Call to read it…