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

<p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>“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."</p><p>Fung is unopposed in the Republican primary.</p><p>“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.”</p><p>Langevin<a href="https://turnto10.com/news/local/langevin-wont-seek-re-election-in-2022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;announced earlier this year that he would retire</a>&nbsp;from Congress, setting off a scramble for the seat in the&nbsp;<a href="https://turnto10.com/politics/kyc/rhode-island-2nd-congressional-district" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2nd Congressional District</a>.</p><p>"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.</p><p>West noted that Fung has a fine line to walk to win over voters in Rhode Island.</p><p>"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.