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 "I think McCarthy's pitch was, 'I'm not John Boehner, I'm going to
run things differently, I'm my own man'," Representative Blake
Farenthold, a Texas Republican, told reporters after House
conservatives interviewed McCarthy and two other contenders to be
the next speaker.
The others were Representatives Jason Chaffetz and Daniel Webster.
McCarthy, a genial Californian, is considered the favorite to
replace Boehner, who announced on Sept. 25 he is resigning effective
Oct. 30 after a series of battles with conservatives in the House
Republican caucus.
But many of the 30 to 50 hardline conservative members who
repeatedly fought with the more moderate Boehner are suspicious of
McCarthy, who has been part of Boehner's leadership team since House
Republicans got the majority in 2011.
And it was not clear whether McCarthy had convinced conservatives in
the Tuesday evening meeting - which included members of the Tea
Party and Freedom caucuses - that he could take the House in a
different direction.
"To a degree he can. It's more difficult for him because he's been
there with John Boehner each step of the way," said Representative
Steve King, another conservative who attended the meeting and said
he was undecided about who to support.
King said McCarthy, who was majority whip before he was majority
leader, knows each one of the members and has built relationships
with every member of the conference. "That's a pretty good tool to
have."
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On Thursday, House Republicans will meet privately to choose their
party's nominee for speaker. The entire House - both Republicans and
Democrats - will then vote in an open session three weeks later, on
Oct. 29.
Republican divisions could make it difficult for any one candidate
to win the majority in the House. Conservative Republicans do not
have the numbers to elect their choice, but they may be able to
block candidates they oppose.
Chaffetz, chairman of the Oversight committee, said he thought he
might have won some supporters at the meeting Tuesday by speaking
about "how we should fundamentally change the way we do business
around here."
He said conservatives were most concerned about "making sure all
members are valued" and being respected, even if they vote
differently.
(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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