EXCLUSIVE: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy says Republicans will move America in a “new direction” toward a “future that is built on freedom” if they win control of the House, and added in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital that there is “no place” Republicans cannot compete on Nov. 8.
At a campaign stop in Boston for Karoline Leavitt, the Republican candidate running for New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district , McCarthy, R-Calif., said he is confident that the GOP will take back power in the House because of the candidates running this cycle.
“The one thing you always have to remember is majorities are not given — they’re earned,” he said. “We never take anything for granted, but I feel good because of the quality of the candidates we have running from Rhode Island to New Hampshire to Connecticut to Oregon to Washington to Arizona to California.”
He added, “There is no place we can’t compete and that’s what is exciting.”
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The Fox News Power Rankings forecast this week expects Republicans to take control of the House with a 19–seat majority, or 236 total seats. That is a gain of 23 seats compared to the number they hold in Congress today. The forecast predicts that Republicans’ message on the economy and crime will resonate with voters, which is creating a tight race in the Senate.
“When you look at where Democrats are spending money, they are spending money where Biden won in 2020,” McCarthy said. “And the real problem here is why are we seeing these things? It is the policies and the actions that Democrats have taken — their overspending of $10 trillion, inflation, their attack on the energy industry which has brought gas prices up, and people are worried about home heating this winter.”
“We watch their attacks on defunding the police, crime, fentanyl, how they dealt with the border, and then we just watched no accountability of what is going on,” McCarthy continued.
McCarthy, who could become speaker of the House of Representatives if Republicans deliver big wins Tuesday night and take back the majority of the chamber, said the Republican “Commitment to America” plan is “really resonating with the American people.”
“Republicans have a plan that will put America in a new direction — one that will make the economy strong to tackle inflation and make it energy independent, so you can fill up your gas tank and still have money leftover,” he said. “A nation that is strong, and securing your border and funding the police and ensuring your streets are safe for a future that is built on freedom. One that gives the Parents’ Bill of Rights so you can have a say in your kids’ education, and a government that is held accountable so you’ll know where COVID originated from, you’ll know why the DOJ goes after parents simply because they want to do a school board meeting.”
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“But more importantly, you’ll know where your hard-earned tax dollars are being spent, and we will eliminate the waste,” he added.
McCarthy’s exclusive interview with Fox News Digital in Boston came after a stop in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he campaigned for GOP candidate Lisa Scheller, who is running for Pennsylvania’s 7th congressional district. McCarthy also traveled to New York’s 19th congressional district Wednesday in support of Mark Molinaro.
McCarthy has been ramping up his presence on the campaign trail with less than a week to go before voters cast their ballots. This week, McCarthy is holding campaign events in nine states and Washington D.C. He was joined this week by Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel.
Before Nov. 8, McCarthy and McDaniel will travel to Illinois, Florida, Texas and Virginia, and will spend Election Day in Washington, D.C.
Since the August recess began, McCarthy has held campaign events in support of GOP candidates in 39 states, plus D.C., and has done campaign events with 170 members and candidates.
McCarthy first introduced Republicans’ “Commitment to America” to Fox News in March, saying that the GOP has the “opportunity” to “change the course of where America is today” and strengthen it for the next century.
During the interview Wednesday, McCarthy laid out his plans should he take the gavel as speaker of the House.
“On the very first day, we’ll repeal the 87,000 new IRS agents because we think the government should be there to help you, not to go after you,” McCarthy said. He was referring to a provision in Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden signed into law in August, that would grant an $80 billion boost to the IRS over a 10-year period, with more than half of the funds intended to help the agency crack down on tax evasion by hiring tens of thousands of agents that would more than double the agency’s current size.
“We will become energy independent and focus on energy in America to make the price of gasoline less, the price of home heating less, to make America stronger and the world more secure,” McCarthy said. “We will secure our border, we will make sure we don’t defund the police, but we’ll fund the police.”
“We will go after tackling inflation that Democrats have created,” he said. “We’ll pass a Parents’ Bill of Rights so that parents have a say in their kids’ educations, and then, we’ll hold government accountable so the people have a say in how their money is being spent, and we will eliminate waste.”
President Biden delivered a speech just blocks from the U.S. Capitol Wednesday night, when he slammed “MAGA Republicans” and urged Democrats to show up at the polls on Election Day or “allow the dark forces that thirst for power” to chip away at American democracy.
“We’re facing a defining moment,” said Biden. “We must with one overwhelming, unified voice speak, as a country and say there’s no place for voter intimidation or political violence in America.”
“It’s estimated that more than 300 [GOP] election deniers are on the ballot all across America this year,” said Biden. “This is not about me … It’s about the durability of our democracy.”
McCarthy slammed Biden for “dividing the nation instead of uniting at a time that we need to unite,” saying Biden “is doing that because he can’t talk about the policies where people are hurting.”
“I think the president is missing, so, maybe in six days, he’ll get a very big wake-up call to focus on the issues that the American public needs and deserves,” McCarthy said.
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“People are looking for a check and balance because they have watched what one-party-rule has done,” he continued. “Democrats are overzealous, their waste of spending, their lack of listening, and their lack of focus on the needs of the American people.”
McCarthy said Biden “doesn’t respect people with differing opinions.”
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Before the speech, McCarthy said that “the interesting thing is nobody wants him in their district and now, he’s going on TV,” referring to Democratic candidates across the nation who have opted out of campaigning with the president who has a 33% approval rating.
“This country needs solutions. It needs healing. And it needs a uniter,” McCarthy said, adding that Biden is “just focusing on the wrong issues instead of focusing on what the American people are asking.”