Only on 10: Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) House Minority Leader

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California visited Rhode Island for the first time on Saturday to pledge the Republican Party's support for congressional candidate Allan Fung.

McCarthy wants Fung to succeed outgoing Rep. Jim Langevin so much so that he attended a private fundraiser for the former Cranston mayor in Jamestown.

“I think this is a once in a lifetime opportunity," McCarthy said in an exclusive interview with NBC 10's Gene Valicenti . "I'm not only just coming here today, but we're going to be here for the next 94 days to make sure he gets across the district."

Fung is unopposed in the Republican primary.

“It wouldn’t be about a Republican, it would be about America getting back on the right track,” McCarthy said. “It’s a change in this country that people want to have safety. They’re tired of the cost of living, the inflation that’s being driven by the Democrats. They don’t want to defund the police. They want a secure border. They want to stop fentanyl from coming across. We need somebody like Allan to make that happen.”

Langevin announced earlier this year that he would retire from Congress, setting off a scramble for the seat in the 2nd Congressional District.

"What McCarthy's visit means is the national Republican Party actually believes they have a chance of picking up a seat in Rhode Island," said Darrell West of the Brookings Institution.

West noted that Fung has a fine line to walk to win over voters in Rhode Island.

"The thing that Fung has to worry about is the political extremism of the national Republican Party," West said. "He does not want to get so closely tied to Kevin McCarthy and Donald Trump that that becomes a real negative for him in Rhode Island."

For McCarthy, Fung's candidacy is important enough to bring him to Rhode Island for the first time.

"Of all the places across the country I could come, this is one of the first places I made sure I can," McCarthy said. "When you meet Allan, you know he's special. You know this is a unique opportunity. You know what he has provided and what he's willing to give. You know the background, his experience."

Reaction came in from some of the six Democrats who are seeking the party's nomination.

“MAGA Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy supports privatizing Social Security, repealing the Affordable Care Act, and passing a national abortion ban," said Patricia Socarras, a campaign spokesperson for Seth Magaziner. "The fact McCarthy is campaigning for Allan Fung in RI confirms what we already knew— Fung and the extremist Republicans would be a disaster for Rhode Island seniors, Rhode Island workers and Rhode Island women."

Sarah Morgenthau chided McCarthy for spelling Fung’s first name wrong in a tweet that was later deleted.

“I’m running to make sure this seat stays blue. Kevin can’t even spell his own candidate’s name. He’s definitely not qualified to say what’s best for Rhode Islanders,” Morgenthau said.

She followed up: "Kevin McCarthy deleted his tweet. What he can’t erase are his far-right stances, which @AllanFungRI seems happy to embrace."

Joy Fox tweeted a picture of herself and her campaign team, reading, "While Allan Fung holds a secret fundraiser with Kevin McCarthy, we've been out walking in Elmhurst, listening to voters."

All of this, as West says the race in the 2nd District could be competitive.

"Some of the early polling shows a pretty close race there, so that's unusual," West said. "Typically, Rhode Island has been pretty reliable in recent years in electing Democrats, but this year Republicans think they have a shot at that seat."

If the Republicans sweep Congress in November, McCarthy is all but certain to become speaker of the House.

Valicenti's interview with McCarthy also touched on House Speaker Nancy's Pelosi's recent trip to Taiwan and the Justice Department's investigation of former President Trump.

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