Graves was the top Republican in finding consensus among Republicans to elect McCarthy as speaker and bring together the disparate ideals of the conference. He has never served as committee chair or been elected to House leadership so some think he lacks the experience for such a high-stakes mission. In terms of his policy work, Graves has remained a conservative who toes the party line and has a 96 percent conservative score. When serving on the House Climate Crisis Committee, McCarthy appointed Graves as the top Republican to establish an energy, climate, and conservation task force that crafted policy prescription agreements.
Graves is negotiating with two trusted Biden aides: counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, who coincidentally is from the southern Louisiana district that Graves represents. Regardless of his background, and beyond party politics, what is clear is Graves’ calibre as a ‘workhorse.’ As Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) observes, while Graves may not be very visible, “if they want to debate Graves on policy, it’s best to come overprepared.”