Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), who served as acting House speaker for three weeks in October while GOP lawmakers struggled to unite behind a permanent leader, will not seek reelection next year, according to a person familiar with McHenry’s plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a decision McHenry has not announced publicly.
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McHenry, 48, was first elected to the House in 2004, and represents North Carolina’s 10th congressional district. Early in his career, McHenry developed a reputation as a hyper-partisan “attack dog-in-training,” slamming Democrats but also moderate Republicans. After nearly two decades in Congress, however, McHenry has kept a lower profile, eschewing top leadership positions and chairing the House Financial Services Committee.
That changed after the ouster of then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). That move thrust McHenry into the spotlight as McCarthy’s designated speaker pro tempore, or acting speaker. McHenry presided over the chamber for three weeks — with limited powers — as the Republican conference failed multiple times to coalesce behind a permanent replacement.
This is a developing story.
Keeping up with politics is easy with The 5-Minute Fix Newsletter, in your inbox weekdays.
McHenry, 48, was first elected to the House in 2004, and represents North Carolina’s 10th congressional district. Early in his career, McHenry developed a reputation as a hyper-partisan “attack dog-in-training,” slamming Democrats but also moderate Republicans. After nearly two decades in Congress, however, McHenry has kept a lower profile, eschewing top leadership positions and chairing the House Financial Services Committee.
That changed after the ouster of then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). That move thrust McHenry into the spotlight as McCarthy’s designated speaker pro tempore, or acting speaker. McHenry presided over the chamber for three weeks — with limited powers — as the Republican conference failed multiple times to coalesce behind a permanent replacement.
This is a developing story.
