McCarthy Calling It Quits After Ouster as Speaker

(RepublicanPress.org) – In January, it took former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) 15 rounds of voting before he was able to secure the coveted position as the new speaker of the House. In order to grab that title, the California lawmaker had to make certain concessions to congressional members to earn their votes. Once in, McCarthy’s time would be short-lived, as his cooperation with House Democrats prompted a move from Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to oust him from the position. It succeeded. Now, the former House speaker is saying goodbye to the Lower Chamber for good.

On December 6, McCarthy wrote an OpEd for the Wall Street Journal announcing his decision to resign from the House before the end of his term. He advised that he decided to retire from the House to “serve America in new ways.” The lawmaker said he did the right thing for the American people by reaching across the aisle to keep the government open and the “troops paid,” despite the cost to him personally.

Breaking: Kevin McCarthy will retire from Congress at the end of the year. The Republican had been ousted as speaker of the House in October. https://t.co/eapBS9FukH https://t.co/eapBS9FukH

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) December 6, 2023

The former speaker vowed to continue bringing the “best and brightest” to the Republican party. He indicated he takes solace in knowing that he’s leaving “knowing [he] left it all on the field” and he wouldn’t change a thing. In fact, he said he’s leaving with a “smile on [his] face.”

Still, McCarthy’s departure leaves the GOP in a bit of a bind as the new year brings about another chance of a government shutdown. The party’s already slim majority just got tighter when former Representative George Santos (R-NY) was kicked out of the House. His expulsion reduced the Republican majority to three.

California Governor Gavin Newsom won’t have to call for a special election for McCarthy’s replacement until mid-January. By that time, the House will already be under immense pressure to fund the government.