Republican McHenry announces bid for Financial Services ranking member

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) on Thursday announced he is running to be the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee in the next Congress.

McHenry, the Financial Services panel’s current vice chairman, said Thursday he would run to be the committee’s ranking Republican in 2019. The congressman said he would be “continuing my conversations with my House Republican colleagues as I make the case for why I’m the best candidate to lead our committee going forward.”

{mosads}McHenry touted a record of working “with both Republicans and Democrats to increase access to capital for American small businesses and families.”

Current Financial Services Chairman Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R) is retiring at the end of his term.

The Hill reported last week that McHenry was expected to seek the top minority spot on the committee if Republicans lost control of the House in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

McHenry, the GOP chief deputy whip, is widely respected among Financial Services panel members, House Republicans and industry advocates. He was poised to climb the House leadership ladder if Republicans held onto the lower chamber after the retirement of Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), likely replacing Rep. Steve Scalise (La.) as the top GOP vote-counter.

“Like every House Republican, I was deeply disappointed by Tuesday’s election results and saddened that many of our dear friends will not be returning to Congress in January,” McHenry said in a statement. “But now is the time to move forward.”

Two of McHenry’s potential challengers pledged their support after his announcement

GOP Reps. Blaine Luetkemeyer (Mo.) and Bill Huizenga (Mich.) had both said before the election they would run to be the top Financial Services Republican, but only if McHenry did not seek the position.

Luetkemeyer said in a Thursday statement that he offered “my unwavering support for Patrick’s candidacy to be the Ranking Republican on the Committee, and believe he is the right man for the job.”

Brian Patrick, a spokesman for Huizenga, said Thursday that “We are 100 percent supportive of Mr. McHenry running for Ranking Member.”

And Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), who also considered a run to lead Financial Services Republicans, rolled out his bid for the top minority spot on the House Science Committee shortly after McHenry’s announcement.

McHenry is poised to serve as the Republican foil to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the committee who is poised to take the gavel.

Waters has pledged to investigate sales scandals at Wells Fargo and President Trump’s financial connections to Deutsche Bank while also pursuing affordable housing and consumer protection bills.

McHenry warned that he will “fight back against any efforts by Democrats to use this committee to roll back our successes from the last two years or use the committee as the launch pad for endless, partisan investigations.”

“The American people sent us here to get our work done,” McHenry said. “I intend to do that and I hope our Democrat colleagues share that commitment.”