Prior to Kevin McCarthy's ouster in a historic motion to vacate Tuesday, most people probably hadn't heard of Rep. Patrick McHenry, the bespectacled and bow-tied gentleman from North Carolina who has focused a lot of his legislative attention on fiscal policy, and may easily have his name misstated as one of the country's founding fathers. But now he's in the spotlight as the speaker pro tempore, the reluctant leader of a paralyzed House of Representatives.
Who is he? A 10-term congressman, Rep. Patrick McHenry is a former member of House GOP leadership who chose to step away from the role after Republicans lost the House in 2018.
