Who is Patrick McHenry, Kevin McCarthy’s interim replacement as House speaker?

McCarthy had designated McHenry as a potential successor, according to House rules that require the speaker to make a secret list of representatives who could act as speaker pro tempore, or temporary speaker, in case of a vacancy.

As speaker pro tempore, McHenry has limited powers. However, because Republicans have been unable to unite around a single speaker candidate — leaving the House paralyzed and unable to conduct legislative matters — there have been growing calls to expand McHenry’s authority temporarily.

Here’s what to know about McHenry.

Who is Patrick T. McHenry, the interim House speaker?

McHenry, 47, is a 10-term congressman representing the 10th Congressional District in North Carolina. He chairs the House Financial Services Committee.

During his nearly two decades in Congress, McHenry has come to be known for his signature bow ties, deadpan jokes and his stint as the Republican Party chief deputy whip.

He is also a close ally of the man he replaced. Before the unprecedented ousting of McCarthy, McHenry appealed to his fellow Republicans to keep McCarthy in the role. After Democrats joined a hard-right GOP faction, which included Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), to oust McCarthy in a 216-210 vote, McHenry appeared to express his frustration by forcefully hammering the gavel while declaring a recess.
 

McHenry was first elected to the House in 2004, when he was 29 years old, after a grass-roots campaign that involved knocking on 60,000 doors, according to the Associated Press. He worked on the 2000 presidential campaign of George W. Bush, who later appointed him as special assistant to the U.S. secretary of labor. He is married to a U.S. government economist and has three children.

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What authority does McHenry have in the role?

McHenry, as a designated speaker pro tempore, will not have all the powers of a permanent House speaker or an elected speaker pro tempore, according to House rules.

He may call the House to order, make announcements, answer parliamentary inquiries, rule on points of order and designate another speaker pro tempore. But he may not administer the oath of office to a member-elect without unanimous consent or specific House approval, among other restrictions. By comparison, an elected speaker pro tempore has a greater scope of powers, including being able to preside at a joint session of Congress.

The unprecedented nature of the situation also adds to the uncertainty, The Washington Post reported, with some experts saying the House could pass legislation deemed “necessary and appropriate” by the Constitution, though most other matters might have to wait.

In one of his first acts as temporary speaker, McHenry ordered former House speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to immediately vacate her hideaway office in the Capitol.

McHenry is also probably not in the line of presidential succession, because he doesn’t formally hold the title of speaker, The Post reported. The House speaker is second in line to succeed the president, after the vice president.

Could McHenry replace McCarthy permanently?

As speaker pro tempore, McHenry is supposed to hold the position only until Republicans can elect a new speaker.

McHenry could seek the role permanently, but so far he has not expressed interest in joining the speaker’s race. Former House speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) viewed McHenry as a future speaker, according to a 2017 Politico interview.

Is there any precedent for this situation?

The House has not previously ousted a speaker, so no one else has come to serve in the interim role in the way McHenry has. That means this situation is without precedent, and House members are figuring it out as they go.

Before 2003, there were rules that stated that the House clerk would simply preside over the election of a new speaker in case of an unexpected vacancy. In 2003, new House rules required the speaker to submit a list of names that would serve as temporary speaker in the event of a vacancy.

When Boehner announced in September 2015 that he would resign as speaker at the end of the following month, he did so pending the election of a new speaker. Paul D. Ryan was elected speaker on Oct. 29, 2015, and Boehner resigned the next day.