Kevin McCarthy, Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor: How GOP ‘Young Guns’ Failed

Former House speaker Kevin McCarthy’s announcement that he will resign from the chamber at the end of the year concludes the “Young Guns” era. Once touted as the party’s future, McCarthy and his onetime comrades in arms — former speaker Paul Ryan and former house majority leader Eric Cantor — will be all out of office and on the outs with their party’s voters.

Their failure to create the GOP of their dreams would be cautionary enough. Combined with the continuing failure of the Republicans who unseated them to construct a durable, governing alternative, it’s a tale of how a party that loses touch with its voters can wander aimlessly for years.

About the Author

Henry Olsen

Henry Olsen is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the author of The Working-Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism.

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Former House speaker Kevin McCarthy’s announcement that he will resign from the chamber at the end of the year concludes the “Young Guns” era. Once touted as the party’s future, McCarthy and his onetime comrades in arms — former speaker Paul Ryan and former house majority leader Eric Cantor — will be all out of office and on the outs with their party’s voters.

Their failure to create the GOP of their dreams would be cautionary enough. Combined with the continuing failure of the Republicans who unseated them to construct a durable, governing alternative, it’s a tale of how a party that loses touch with its voters can wander aimlessly for years.

About the Author

Henry Olsen

Henry Olsen is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the author of The Working-Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism.