While he reportedly clashed with former President Donald Trump behind the scenes, McCarthy reaffirmed Trump’s standing as the de facto leader of the Republican Party and helped rehabilitate him after the 2020 election and Jan. 6 riot, Peter Wehner wrote in The Atlantic after McCarthy’s ouster. Central to his legacy is “his role in reckless attacks on crucial American institutions,” including the Justice department and the electoral system. He was also highly regarded as a master fundraiser within the party. ”I don’t know who else can step into that role,” a California GOP strategist told ABC. California Gov. Gavin Newsom told Semafor’s Dave Weigel last week that McCarthy “was a pretty effective campaigner in these key districts. He was proximate, and he had the resources.”
