Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, will not run again for the position, according to several national media reports. The California GOP congressman was removed from office in a 216-210 vote, with the extremist wing of his party voting to overthrow him.
In a press conference in Congress, McCarthy asserted that “he will continue fighting, perhaps in a different way,” but made it clear that he will not resign from his position as a congressman, according to journalists from The New York Times.
According to The New York Times, there is only one precedent for such a resignation: John A. Boehner faced an override motion in 2015, resigned from the speaker’s gavel, and resigned rather than face a vote in the House of Representatives.
According to the aforementioned media, McCarthy’s decision not to run again for the presidency of Congress took several of the congressman’s allies by surprise. According to this version, congressmen told some reporters that they hoped McCarthy would decide to run for office again.
In this way, McCarthy revealed that his intention is for the Republican Party to obtain the majority in the next electoral cycle as well.
McCarthy defended his management
The Republican congressman referred to his time as speaker as “one of the greatest honors” and assured that he “enjoyed every minute.”
“I hope they realize that every day I did the job, whether they underestimated me or not, I wanted to do it with a smile,” McCarthy told reporters.
He defended having chosen governance over complaints, referring to his last-minute maneuvers to avoid a government shutdown over the weekend, even as some Republican congressmen demanded otherwise. “It is my responsibility. It is my job,” added the now former president of Congress.
When asked about his successor, McCarthy said he could endorse someone, but he did not commit to doing so, nor did he say who he could give that nod to.
Instead, when asked what advice he would give to his successor, he responded: “Change the rules.”
Distributed responsibilities
McCarthy’s path ended just as it began: full of friction not only with Democratic congressmen but also with some Republicans.
At the press conference, the former president of Congress blamed the Democrats for his overthrow and for damaging the institution of Congress.
He also questioned the eight Republicans who voted to unseat him. “I’m not very sure that these people are looking to be productive,” he said. He accused these congressmen of allowing Democrats to take advantage of the opportunity to regain power in the House.
He specifically took aim at Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz by suggesting he is not a true conservative after voting with Democrats against Republican spending bills.
“He was trying to get attention,” he said of Gaetz.
McCarthy stated that his interest is to be a Republican and a conservative who governs.
No sure successor
The election of McCarthy’s successor is expected to be difficult due to the rupture it generated in the Republican Party. However, some media cite congressmen Steve Scalise, Tom Emmer or Andy Biggs as possible successors.
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