Kevin McCarthy Becomes Least Tenured Floor Leader in US House History

At less than four terms, McCarthy has served 423 fewer days in the chamber than any floor leader in U.S. House history and almost 10 years less than the average leader

After the Republican tsunami in 2010, then North Carolina Democratic U.S. Representative Heath Shuler made a long-shot bid for Minority Leader against Nancy Pelosi, who would lose her Speakership at the convening of the 112th Congress.

At that time, Smart Politics documented how Shuler, who had just been elected to his third term at the age of 38, would have become by far the youngest and least experienced legislator among the nearly three-dozen individuals to serve in the majority or minority leadership positions since the late 1800s.

That didn’t happen, of course, as Pelosi won easily.

But while the election of California Republican and GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy by his caucus Thursday to succeed Eric Cantor as Majority Leader did not set a record for youngest floor leader in history, he did shatter the record for the least experience.

A Smart Politics study of the more than three-dozen majority and minority leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives finds that McCarthy, with less than four full terms under his belt, has the least experience of any floor leader in the chamber’s history by more than a year and nearly 10 years less than the average leader.

When Eric Cantor steps down from his leadership position at the end of July, Rep. McCarthy will become Majority Leader with just 7 years, 6 months, 29 days of service in the chamber, or 2,767 days. (Note: McCarthy did serve as Minority Leader of the California Assembly for more than two years prior to his election to Congress).

That is well less than half of the average legislative experience in the chamber for the previous three-dozen individuals to serve as floor leader since the late 1800s.

The average length of U.S. House service at the time of these 36 floor leaders’ initial election to their party’s leadership position was 6,268 days, or more than 17 years in office.

Prior to McCarthy, the low water mark for days served in the chamber was held by Acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt of Missouri.

The Republican was in his fifth term after Tom Delay’s departure from the post in September 2005 and had served 8 years, 8 months, 25 days (3,190 days) – or 423 days longer than McCarthy.

Republicans Dick Armey of Texas and Eric Cantor of Virginia had each served 10 years before becoming Majority Leader in 1995 and 2011 respectively, or 3,652 days of service in the chamber.

When Democrat John Sharp Williams of Mississippi became Minority Leader in 1903 he had also served for 10 years.

The member of Congress who paid the most dues before becoming a floor leader was Democrat Henry Rainey of Illinois.

Rainey had logged 26 years, 8 months, 30 days in the House (9,774 days) between two stints before he became Majority Leader in 1931.

Three others also had a waiting period of more than a quarter-century:

· Democrat John Garner of Texas was in office 26 years (9,497 days) before becoming Minority Leader in 1929
· Democrat Hale Boggs of Louisiana had also served 26 years in two stints (9,496 days) when he became Majority Leader in 1971
· Democrat Steny Hoyer of Maryland was in office 25 years, 7 months, 15 days (9,360 days) when he became Majority Leader in 2007

Number of Days Served in U.S. House Before Becoming Party Floor Leader

Representative	State	Party	Leader	Year	Yrs	# Days
Kevin McCarthy*	CA	GOP	Majority	2014	7 yrs, 6 months, 29 days	2,767
Roy Blunt	MO	GOP	Majority**	2005	8 yrs, 8 months, 25 days	3,190
John Sharp Williams	MS	DEM	Minority	1903	10 yrs	3,651
Dick Armey	TX	GOP	Majority	1995	10 yrs	3,652
Eric Cantor	VA	GOP	Majority	2011	10 yrs	3,652
John McCormack	MA	DEM	Majority	1940	11 yrs, 10 months, 20 days	4,342
Charles Halleck	IN	GOP	Majority	1947	11 yrs, 11 months, 5 days	4,357
Dick Gephardt	MO	DEM	Majority	1989	12 yrs, 5 months, 3 days	4,537
Sereno Payne	NY	GOP	Majority	1899	13 yrs, 2 months, 29 days	4,839
Joseph Martin	MA	GOP	Minority	1939	13 yrs, 9 months, 30 days	5,053
Oscar Underwood	AL	DEM	Majority	1911	14 yrs	5,112
James Mann	IL	GOP	Minority	1911	14 yrs	5,112
James Richardson	TN	DEM	Minority	1899	14 yrs	5,113
Claude Kitchin	NC	DEM	Majority	1915	14 yrs	5,113
John Tilson	CT	GOP	Majority	1925	13 yrs, 11 months, 27 days	5,113
Carl Albert	OK	DEM	Majority	1962	15 yrs, 7 days	5,486
John Boehner	OH	GOP	Majority	2006	15 yrs, 30 days	5,509
Bertrand Snell	NY	GOP	Minority	1931	15 yrs, 4 months, 2 days	5,601
Nancy Pelosi	CA	DEM	Minority	2003	15 yrs, 7 months, 1 day	5,694
Champ Clark	MO	DEM	Minority	1908	15 yrs, 9 months, 1 day	5,754
Gerald Ford	MI	GOP	Minority	1965	16 yrs	5,844
William Bankhead	AL	DEM	Majority	1935	17 yrs, 9 months, 30 days	6,514
Finis Garrett	TN	DEM	Minority	1923	18 yrs	6,574
Nicholas Longworth	OH	GOP	Majority	1923	17 yrs, 11 months, 27 days	6,574
Tom Delay	TX	GOP	Majority	2003	18 yrs	6,574
Frank Mondell	WY	GOP	Majority	1919	20 yrs	7,304
Tip O’Neill	MA	DEM	Majority	1973	20 yrs	7,305
John Rhodes	AZ	GOP	Minority	1973	20 yrs, 11 months, 4 days	7,643
Tom Foley	WA	DEM	Majority	1987	22 yrs	8,035
Jim Wright	TX	DEM	Majority	1977	22 yrs	8,036
Sam Rayburn	TX	DEM	Majority	1937	23 yrs, 9 months, 30 days	8,706
Joseph Byrns	TN	DEM	Majority	1933	24 yrs	8,766
Robert Michel	IL	GOP	Minority	1981	24 yrs	8,766
Steny Hoyer	MD	DEM	Majority	2007	25 yrs, 7 months, 15 days	9,360
Hale Boggs	LA	DEM	Majority	1971	26 yrs	9,496
John Garner	TX	DEM	Minority	1929	26 yrs	9,497
Henry Rainey	IL	DEM	Majority	1931	26 yrs, 8 months, 30 days	9,774

* McCarthy will become Majority Leader after Cantor steps down on July 31st. ** Blunt served as Acting Majority Leader. Table compiled by Smart Politics.

In general, Republicans have elected floor leaders with less experience than have Democrats over the decades.

The average length of service for the 20 Democrats at the time they first became floor leader was 6,843 days, or more than 18.5 years.

Meanwhile, the 17 Republican floor leaders had served an average of 5,385 days in the chamber, or approximately four fewer years.

The average age of those first elected to the positions of majority or minority leader is just shy of 55 years.

At a shade more than 49 and one-half years old, McCarthy will become the seventh youngest majority leader and ninth youngest floor leader in the chamber’s history.

The youngest member to be elected majority or minority leader was North Carolina Democrat Claude Kitchin who became majority leader in 1915 at the age of 45.

Before McCarthy, seven other representatives were elected to these leadership posts before the age of 50:

· Charles Halleck of Indiana at age 46 (GOP Majority Leader in 1947)
· Finis Garrett of Tennessee at age 47 (Democratic Minority Leader in 1923)
· Dick Gephardt of Missouri at age 47 (Democratic Majority Leader in 1989)
· Eric Cantor of Virginia at age 47 (Republican Majority Leader in 2011)
· John Sharp Williams of Mississippi at age 48 (Democratic Minority Leader in 1903)
· Oscar Underwood of Alabama at age 48 (Democratic Majority Leader in 1911)
· John McCormack of Massachusetts at age 48 (Democratic Majority Leader in 1940)

Twenty other leaders were elected when in their 50s, seven more in their 60s, and one (Henry Rainey of Illinois) at the age of 70.

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