Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., told Newsmax on Thursday that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., "is the reason why we retook the House" and predicted that McCarthy would be elevated to House speaker.
"We wouldn't have got there if it weren't for Kevin McCarthy," the Pennsylvania Republican said during an appearance on Newsmax's "The Chris Salcedo Show." "He's our best strategist, by far; he's our best fundraiser. He raised over a quarter of a billion dollars this cycle just in the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is responsible for flipping a lot of these seats; and he's also our best recruiter."
Discussing potential changes in House leadership in January, Reschenthaler said he's a "big fan of Steve Scalise" and noted that the minority whip is "going to be unopposed" in his bid for a new leadership position.
"Steve Scalise will be the majority leader when Republicans come into the majority, which, of course, we are. And I think Kevin McCarthy will be speaker," he said.
Russ Vought, a former Office of Management and Budget director, said Thursday that McCarthy's run for the position "is in serious trouble."
A Trump White House official, Vought said that McCarthy might not have the votes to win after Republican congressmen Matt Gaetz of Florida, Chip Roy of Texas, and Bob Good of Virginia said they will not vote for McCarthy.
In August, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell promised that if the GOP regained control of the House and Senate, President Joe Biden "will finally become the moderate ... he promised he would be when he ran."
"Just because you have a closely divided government, doesn't mean you do nothing," McConnell said.
Reschenthaler said he doesn't "subscribe to this idea that we need to play footsies with the Democrats."
"Their agenda is so radical and so dangerous to everyday Americans that we have to do everything we can to stop it," he said.
Republican challenger Herschel Walker is headed for a runoff with Democrat incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock in Georgia next month, and Reschenthaler said winning in the Peach State is of the utmost importance.
"We've got to win that seat. And hopefully this time, when we don't have a Libertarian siphoning off votes, Herschel Walker will actually win," the Keystone State congressman said. "But if the balance of the Senate is determined by Georgia, which I think it's going to be, it is crucial that we get Herschel across the finish line; and I'll do anything I can to get him there."
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