CNN
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A smiling young man in the final Bakersfield High School student newspaper of 1983 was captioned, “Most likely to succeed.”
That graduate wasn’t California Republican senior Kevin McCarthy, who became Speaker of the 118th House of Representatives on Saturday.
“I had the best chance of succeeding,” laughs McCarthy’s classmate and friend Marshall Dillard. “I’m sure he surprised some teachers. If you had seen Kevin in high school, you wouldn’t have thought of this.”
The lighthearted teasing dates back to Dillard and McCarthy on the high school football field in Bakersfield, California. The team was called “The Drillers” after the district’s oil industry. Bakersfield is located at the southern tip of California’s Central Valley and is one of the largest cities in the state’s 20th congressional district.
It’s the district McCarthy represents as one of the most powerful Republican congressmen in the country. With Republicans in the House holding a narrow majority in the 118th Congress, hardline groups of Republicans sparked a messy and historic battle for control of the Speaker’s gavel. After five days of voting, McCarthy granted a series of demands that undermined the Presidency. But in the end he won the gavel.
It was the kind of political knuckle fight that is often used in the DC scene, but it was a far cry from the area that raised young Kevin McCarthy.
Here, he’s known as the son of a firefighter, whose grades suggest a career path that’s not as strong. gives a lesson that follows McCarthy today and provides clues to his speakership.
“He was sloppy and worked hard, so he made up for it,” says Dillard. “In football, he wasn’t a great guy. He wasn’t the fastest guy. He wasn’t the strongest guy. But he was going to give it his all.”
Instead of being considered the most likely to succeed by their classmates, McCarthy was named one half of Bakersfield High School’s “Best Couple”. His girlfriend, Judy, becomes his wife.
“That was the only time I saw him nervous before he asked me out,” recalls Dillard. For the rest of his time, McCarthy participated in classes, sports, or clubs, with ambitions to overrule his obvious credentials.
Fellow students were drawn to McCarthy not only for his humor and confidence, but also for his friendship.
Dillard, now the principal of William Penn Elementary School in Bakersfield, says a moment in his teenage years speaks to the man who now heads the U.S. House of Representatives. Dillard, who is black, was the star player on his football team at Bakersfield High School. He recalls when their high school was slated to play against a rival high school team notorious for racism. McCarthy and several of his football teammates reassured Dillard.
“It cemented our bond,” says Dillard. The men have been friends over the years, sharing stories of struggles, successes and parenthood. refused to do so. politics is politics. they do what they do. I know Kevin on a personal level. ”
“McCarthy’s Frozen Yogurt” occupies half a page in the 1983 yearbook sponsored by local businesses page. McCarthy recounts the yogurt shop his uncle owns and where he opened his first small business, Kevin O’s Deli.
Photo: Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy
Dillard, who will be attending Stanford University, remembers Kevin Ores as a few tables in the corner of the yogurt shop. Gave me a sandwich.
Bakersfield farmer Katherine Fanucci also grew up with McCarthy and today calls him a friend. She, like Dillard, left the Central Valley for her school and career. Her career was a lawyer. But back home, she joined a family farm that traces her century-old Bakersfield origins.
“I never saw him sit still,” Fanucci says of McCarthy. “He’s not that guy. He’ll look on the sunny side of the street and manage to find it.”
McCarthy didn’t stay long at the sandwich shop and, while in college, sent in an application to become an intern in the summer of 1987 with then-representatives in Washington. Bill Thomas, California Republican;
His application came across the desk of Kathy Abernathy, Thomas’ chief of staff.
“He didn’t make it in time for the summer,” recalls Abernathy. “He often says in speeches, ‘I’m the district councilor who refused to be an intern.'” True story. ”
McCarthy became a protégé of Thomas, learning about campaigns and the politics of Sacramento and Washington. His ambition and his ability to relate to just about anyone set him apart from the rest.
“Well, he’s probably the best homegrown candidate for public office we have. Ally Abernathy says: They have a symbiotic political relationship, but they also have a very personal one: McCarthy officiated her daughter’s wedding just months after her husband’s death. I remember providing advice and comfort to her family.
“He’s got a bigger job, but he hasn’t forgotten his small town in America.”
Thomas left Congress in 2007 and was succeeded by McCarthy. In his December 26th issue of The New Yorker, Thomas denounced his former protégé, stating: he lies down If necessary, he will change the lie. ”
“The Kevin McCarthy who is in the House at this time is not the Kevin McCarthy I worked with,” Thomas was quoted as saying.
The criticism comes on the heels of the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol, adding to his former staffer and friend Thomas’ first harsh public comments. In an interview with a local TV station, Thomas accused McCarthy of turning to Donald Trump and his election lying for political convenience.
McCarthy declined to speak to CNN about this article.
McCarthy blamed Trump shortly after the attack on the Capitol, saying “the president is responsible for Wednesday’s mob attack on Congress.”
Shortly thereafter, however, McCarthy made a stunning reversal, stating, “If you heard what he said at the rally, I don’t think he (Trump) provoked.”
Since then, McCarthy has vowed to return Arizona Rep. Paul Gosser and Georgia Rep. We have responded to some of the
Despite disagreements with Trump, the former president backed McCarthy’s candidacy for the Presidency and called for a holdout vote on his behalf. Trump publicly called McCarthy “my Kevin.”
For Bakersfield conservative Paul Stein, political flexibility is well known. The two have known each other since he was in 1995 and had a fight when he was a Republican. “Kevin is the most accommodating politician I’ve ever seen,” says Stein.
When they were younger, Stein viewed McCarthy as too middle-of-the-road, like Thomas and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“If Kevin today was Kevin in the 1990s, I don’t think he and I would have been at odds. He knows how to evolve his position enough to survive in the political game. Do I consider him conservative ideological? No, not at all,” says Stein.
Dave Noer, mayor of Taft in McCarthy’s neighborhood, dismissed the criticism, calling it part of today’s politics. It’s unique and thorough in understanding agriculture.”
Noerr has worked in and out of the oil industry for most of his life. His entire town and district depend on the energy industry for jobs and money, but are undergoing rapid evolution as oil production is condemned.
“Kevin McCarthy coming from this field and understanding the need and opportunity to integrate all these resources for the betterment of mankind is a fantasy that some people are touting and that of so many people. It will be important to clear up any misunderstandings,” says Noah.
Fanucci, a Bakersfield farmer, refuses to express her political views and says whether she agrees with McCarthy’s position. to have strong representatives in Washington who understand the challenges of providing
“He’s from here,” Fanucci says of McCarthy. “We have direct access to him and he has access to people who can help us tell our story. You need water and space, attributed to the belief that you must be like me to think like me and do something great for Khan County and our country I can’t. I think you have to work hard with clear eyes and a strong heart.”
Noah, a Republican, hopes his party’s narrow majority in the House will be a blessing, not a challenge, to help his constituency.
“He (McCarthy) has to remove the chasm that exists now and unfortunately has gotten worse lately. We can find common ground,” says Noerr. “Instead of arguing, we have a conversation.