Just hours after Democrats and a cohort of Republicans combined forces to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from his position as Speaker of the House Tuesday, the embattled lawmaker announced he won’t try to win back the position.
“I will not seek to run again for Speaker of the House,” McCarthy posted to social media. “I may have lost a vote today, but I fought for what I believe in—and I believe in America. It has been an honor to serve.”
When approached by reporters following the vote, McCarthy said emphatically that he feels “great”—but declined to answer any further questions.
ADVERTISEMENT
He now holds the distinction of being the first speaker ever removed from the role by their colleagues, following an insurgent campaign led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) which culminated in “motion to vacate” the chair that he filed Monday night.
Every House Democrat voted in favor of McCarthy being booted, along with eight House Republicans. That was just enough to overrule the vast majority of the GOP conference who supported keeping McCarthy in leadership. The final tally was 216 members in favor of vacating the speakership and 210 opposed.
McCarthy critiziced Gaetz on Tuesday night, saying his bold move had nothing to do with opposing views on spending and instead had everything to do with “getting attention.”
While rumors of a possible motion to vacate had circulated for well over a week, it appeared McCarthy was surprised that enough of his colleagues had turned on him for him to be removed. On Monday night, less than 24 hours before the official vote, he confidently posted to social media: “Bring it on.”
Following the vote, McCarthy railed against the Republicans who turned against him, accusing them of being anti-conservative. Those included Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Ken Buck (R-CO), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Bob Good (R-VA), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), and Gaetz.
“They don’t get to say they’re conservative because they’re angry and chaotic,” McCarthy said Tuesday night. “That’s not the party I belong to.”
While he isn’t seeking an immediate return to GOP leadership, McCarthy said he “hasn’t thought about” resigning from Congress altogether. If he were to relinquish his seat, it wouldn’t be an entirely unprecedented move—The former House Speaker John A. Boehner, a Republican, resigned from Congress entirely when he faced a motion to vacate in 2015.
Gaetz, who has long been a thorn in McCarthy’s side, called for his colleague’s ouster after McCarthy struck a deal with Democrats to avert an imminent government shutdown. McCarthy tried to argue that the compromise was necessary to ensure Americans on federal payrolls continued getting paid.
“I kept government open so the families of our troops and border agents could get paid,” he wrote on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, Tuesday morning. “If a handful of Republicans side with Democrats to remove me for that—it’s a fight worth having.”
It was a short-lived fight for McCarthy. And, practically immediately, Republican lawmakers began throwing their names out to fill McCarthy’s shoes.
Some names recognized to be serious contenders are Reps. Tom Emmer (R-MN), who Gaetz suggested to Newsmax last month, and Steve Scalise (R-LA), who is reportedly favored by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.
A cohort of far-right pundits and politicians—including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, Steve Bannon and several hosts on conservative cable channel Newsmax—even suggested that former President Donald Trump should be considered for the role.
The idea gained credence when Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) tweeted about it to his more than 150,000 followers: “Kevin McCarthy will NOT be running again as Speaker. I nominate Donald J. Trump for Speaker of the House.”
It’s unclear if Nehls was simply testing the waters or actually intended to carry out the long-shot bid, though he was quickly joined by Rep. Greg Steube, who tweeted his agreement.
