House GOP Whip McCarthy Likes Mixed Seating At SOTU

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

The proposal by Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) that Democrats and Republicans sit together at the upcoming State of the Union address, rather than the separate seating normally practiced by the two parties, has now picked up at least some support from a high-ranking member of the Republican leadership: House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

“I like the idea,” McCarthy told reporters. He did not say that GOP leaders were instructing Republicans to sit with Dems, only pointing out that in fact there is no assigned seating: “people can always sit by one another.”

CNN reports:

But when asked by CNN if he planned to sit next to a Democrat for the speech in the House chamber, McCarthy said he has a good rapport with the House Democratic Whip, telling reporters, “Steny Hoyer and I try to talk quite often. I would enjoy sitting next to him.”

Hoyer previously endorsed the mixed seating idea yesterday.

Latest DC
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: