Washington, United States: Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy announced his resignation as US House speaker on Wednesday, two months after his historic ousting. There are reports that McCarthy will depart Congress by the end of the year. His revelation capped a startling conclusion to a House career for the onetime deli counter owner from Bakersfield, California, who rose through state and national politics to become second in line to the president until he was removed in October by a group of hard-right conservatives.
McCarthy is the only speaker in history to have been fired.
“No matter the odds, or personal cost, we did the right thing,” McCarthy wrote in The Wall Street Journal, announcing his decision. “It is in this spirit that I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways.”
McCarthy’s destiny was expected to be revealed only days before the filing date for reelection to the House. However, his choice echoed throughout Capitol Hill, where his departure would exacerbate the already razor-thin Republican control in the House, with only a few seats to spare according to the reports by Associated Press.
It added to the flood of retirements in the House, which has been splintered by Republican infighting, as well as the rare expulsion this week of indicted GOP Representative George Santos of New York, dashed hopes for big successes and left the majority laboring to carry out basic governance duties.
McCarthy had propelled the Republicans into the majority but leading the GOP’s divisions proved far more challenging.
His demise as speaker was spurred by complaints from his party’s hard-right side, particularly his choice to collaborate with Democrats to keep the federal government open rather than risk a shutdown.
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, a Republican who followed McCarthy as speaker, said McCarthy “served faithfully and sacrificed substantially for the good of our country and our cause.”
Johnson subsequently told reporters that McCarthy was a “long and trusted friend” and that he was “sad to see him go.”
Remarks by Matt Gaetz
Republican Representative from Fla, Matt Gaetz – who led the efforts to oust McCarthy, took his official social media and tweeted a one-word post on X (formerly known as Twitter). He wrote, “McLeavin.” following the announcement of former US House speaker.
Later, he slammed McCarthy, whose resignation will sever the GOP’s tenuous grip on power. “I believe he should have stayed and helped us maintain a strong majority,” Gaetz told reporters, adding “But he left.”
McCarthy and his journey as the US House Speaker
McCarthy, 58, joined the House in January 2007 after serving as minority leader in the California Assembly. In Congress, he worked his way up through his party’s ranks until being elected speaker in January.
The days-long floor struggle that followed his elevation to the House’s top post foretold a turbulent tenure, at a time when former President Donald Trump remained the party’s de facto leader and profound splits within the GOP raised major concerns about the party’s capacity to govern.
McCarthy required a record 15 votes over four days to garner the support he needed to gain the position he had long sought, eventually winning on a 216-212 vote with Democrats supporting leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and six Republican holdouts voting present. A speaker’s vote has not been subjected to so many rounds of counting since the Civil War.
McCarthy emerged from the struggle weakened, especially given that Republicans only maintained a tenuous majority in the chamber after an expected “red wave” failed to materialize in the 2022 elections.
McCarthy’s well-known fundraising and political expertise looked to be unsuitable for corralling his party’s hard-right members in the speakership. Deals he cut to become speaker, including a rule change that permitted any one legislator to initiate a motion to remove him, exposed him, as per reported by AP.
When he became speaker, “he faced new challenges that required a different skill set,” according to Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney, a former House Republican domestic policy expert. Indeed, “the deals he made to become speaker made it almost impossible for him to succeed as speaker.”
McCarthy, depicted himself as a tireless battler. He liked quoting his father, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
McCarthy is from a Republican-leaning region of Central California, where oil derricks cover the hillsides and country music fans cram Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace arena. Farming and oil drilling affect the economy distant from the beaches of Southern California and the restaurants of San Francisco.
It was unclear what would happen with the vacancy, which might have consequences for the republican rule. The difference between the two parties was only a few seats. In California, the deadline for candidates to file paperwork to run in 2024 elections is Friday. If the vacancy happens before the conclusion of that term, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom must call a special election to fill McCarthy’s seat.
If McCarthy steps down after that time, it will be up to the governor to call for a special election. McCarthy has been credited with the helping to attract a new, more diverse generation of Republican House members, including two south Korean immigrants, both women, in his home state.
McCarthy chose Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., to run for a House seat that had bounced back and forth between Democrats and Republicans for several elections. McCarthy’s instincts were correct, as Gimenez defeated an incumbent Democrat in that race.
“I surely will miss him, but I think the House will miss him more,” Gimenez said.
McCarthy’s resignation, he added, might put House Republicans at a financial disadvantage in their quest to maintain their majority.
McCarthy left with a reminder of his fundraising abilities. He donated $3 millions of his political funds to vulnerable GOP legislators, state Republican parties, and the House GOP campaign arm just before Thanksgiving, according to spokesperson Drew Florio in an email.
“Nobody could raise funds like Kevin McCarthy could,” Gimenez remarked. “Replacing him now, with so little time until the next election, is an impossible task for Speaker Johnson.” I’ll take my hat off to him if he even gets near.”