Ousted U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been married to his wife, Judy Wages, since 1992 and the couple have two children. Let’s his spouse and kids.
Kevin Owen McCarthy is an American politician who was the 55th and current speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
A member of the Republican Party, he currently represents California’s 20th congressional district.
In October 2023, McCarthy was removed from office after a historic challenge to his leadership from his party.
The Republican faced a motion to vacate, which was triggered by Donald Trump ally Matt Gaetz on Monday, just months after securing the position in 15 rounds of voting.
It is the first time in the country’s history that House representatives have voted the Speaker out.
Following that, many were vested in his family, especially, who he is married to and the number of children he has. Read on for more.
Who is Kevin McCarthy married to?
Apart from his work as a politician, Kevin McCarthy is a committed married man.
He has been married to his wife, Judy Wages McCarthy, since 1992, and still going strong in their relationship. They live in the first home they bought together.
At the time of his marriage, he was 27 years old.
Kevin and Judy met at Bakersfield High School and fell in love from a young age.
“I actually liked one of his friends, but you know, Kevin’s personality wins you over, and he doesn’t give up,” she joked.
In October 2015, McCarthy was accused of having an affair with Representative Renee Ellmers. He had unexpectedly dropped out of the race for Speaker of the House shortly before the allegations surfaced.
Days earlier, Representative Walter B. Jones Jr. had sent Republican Conference chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers a letter stating that any candidates for a leadership position with “misdeeds” should withdraw from the race. McCarthy and Ellmers have denied the allegation
Who is Judy McCarthy?
Judy McCarthy is the wife of Kevin McCarthy, the former US House Speaker whose tenure is the third-shortest speaker tenure in U.S. history.
Judy was born and raised in Bakersfield, California.
She has been described as a woman who “always keeps her focus on her convictions of faith, family, and friends,” according to Bakersfield.com.
“Judy is the ultimate ‘there you are’ person, always looking for a way to support the people around her, and treats everyone with respect,” her close friend Sally Thornberry said.
In 2014, Judy served as a trustee at Ford’s Theatre — the site of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
During that time, she has also worked full-time for the California Republican Party, raising hundreds of thousands in fundraiser money.
How many children does Kevin McCarthy have?
Kevin McCarthy is also a father and a proud one. He has two kids; a daughter and a son.
The names of his children are Meghan McCarthy and Connor McCarthy.
Kevin shares his kids with his longtime spouse, Judy, in their close to 30 years of marriage.
Connor studied at Georgetown University and tied the knot with his wife, Emily Norris, in December 2020.
Kevin took to Instagram to commemorate the moment by posting a professional video from his son’s wedding.
The caption read: “My son married the love of his life in December—and though the wedding was small, the love we have for them could not be bigger. ❤️ I’m a very proud dad!
“Turned commenting off on this one…It’s a politics-free post!”
The McCathy family are lifelong residents of Bakersfield. The politician and his family are Baptists and members of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Why was Kevin McCarthy ousted as U.S. Speaker of the House?
McCarthy fought so well to emerge the 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives after failing until the 15th ballot.
His tenure which spanned from January to October 2023 to October 3, 2023, has been ruled the third-shortest speaker tenure in U.S. history, and the first speaker to be removed from the role during a legislative term.
The House on Tuesday voted 216 to 210 to remove California Republican Kevin McCarthy from his position as House speaker, a historic move that comes days after he reached an 11th-hour deal to avert a government shutdown with the help of House Democrats.
The ouster came after Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz acted Monday night to force a vote on a motion to vacate the office of the speaker, following through on a threat he made last week to take the gavel from the California Republican while the threat of a shutdown loomed.
While other speakers throughout history have stepped down after losing the support of their party, McCarthy is the first to be ousted through a vote of the full House in the middle of a congressional term.
“It’s uncharted territory because we’ve never done that in the history of the United States,” Matthew Green, a politics professor at Catholic University, told CBS News.
The unprecedented removal of a speaker in the middle of a congressional session has raised questions as to what will happen next and who will be selected to succeed McCarthy.