House Republican leader McCarthy to headline South Carolina GOP’s top fundraising gala

FIRST ON FOX: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is headed to South Carolina later this month to keynote the state Republican Party’s annual fundraising gala.

McCarthy, the longtime congressman from California who will likely succeed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if Republicans, as expected, win back the chamber’s majority in November’s midterm elections, will headline the South Carolina GOP’s Silver Elephant Dinner. The state party shared its plans first with Fox News on Thursday.

The function will be held on Friday, July 29 at the convention center in Columbia, the state’s capital city. 

The Silver Elephant gala is the state party’s largest annual fundraiser, and it’s the longest standing GOP event in South Carolina. High-profile national Republicans, such as McCarthy, often keynote the dinner.

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Since South Carolina holds the third contest in the Republican Party’s presidential nominating calendar, the dinner can often attract White House hopefuls. Last year former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who’s seriously mulling a 2024 White House run, headlined the gala. 

But for McCarthy, the dinner is all about this year’s election.

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Political aides to the Minority leader say his appearance at the South Carolina event can be seen as the beginning of an intense schedule of campaigning across the country for fellow Republicans as the party aims to win back the House majority. 

“Leader Kevin McCarthy is an aggressive advocate for our Party and our conservative candidates,” SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick told Fox News. “We can’t wait to welcome him to the Palmetto State, rally behind our shared principles, and get ready to beat Democrats and retire Nancy Pelosi this November.”

While the GOP lost control of the White House and the Senate majority in the 2020 elections, House Republicans defied expectations and took a big bite out of the Democrats’ majority in the chamber. 

The GOP needs a net gain of just five seats in the 435-member House in the midterms to win back the majority it lost in the 2018 elections.