Kevin McCarthy resigned from Congress after being ousted as Speaker of the House.
Kevin McCarthy resigned from Congress…
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted from his role by a faction of his party earlier this year, will resign from Congress later this month, he said Wednesday.
“I have decided to leave the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways,” McCarthy wrote in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal. “I know my work is just beginning.
The announcement ends McCarthy’s fall from the GOP leadership after he surged to the speakership in a historic 15-round vote earlier this year.
Speculation about McCarthy’s future grew after a band of eight Republican backbenchers engineered his historic ouster less than two months ago over personal and policy conflicts.
After his defeat, he sent mixed messages on whether he would run for re-election, serve out his remaining term that ends in January 2025, or leave the House early.
McCarthy insisted Wednesday that he will remain involved, helping recruit and fundraise for House Republican candidates — exercising one of his biggest strengths as House leader.
“I will continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to elected office. The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders,” he said. wrote in The Journal.
Still, his departure will again reduce the power of one of his party’s strongest fundraisers. Kevin McCarthy …
Kevin McCarthy’s contributions to our country and to growing the House Republican majority are unparalleled. A razor-sharp political mind, Kevin personally raised hundreds of millions of dollars and recruited hundreds of diverse candidates that led us from deep in the minority to the majority.
This dedication to building our party stems from a strong love of country and a heart for service that motivates Kevin at its core,” said Republican campaign chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C.
More immediately, his departure from Congress would shrink the Republicans’ already slim margin, which includes former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y. was ousted from the House last week in the wake of a scathing ethics report and multiple federal charges. . Santos has pleaded not guilty and defended himself.
Speaker Mike Johnson would lose just three GOP votes on each measure before falling short of a simple majority.
Johnson downplayed the impact of McCarthy’s impending resignation, dismissing concerns that the former speaker’s exit weakens the GOP majority.
Johnson said he was not concerned about losing McCarthy’s vote and the possibility that it could make it harder to pass a vote.
“Our conference is working well. And I believe in that,” Johnson said.
Johnson praised McCarthy’s leadership in a post on X Wednesday. He said McCarthy and his wife, Judy, “have served faithfully and made significant sacrifices for the good of our country and our cause.”
One of McCarthy’s rivals, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who led the so-called motion to oust McCarthy as speaker, celebrated the California congressman’s impending departure in a one-word post on X: “McLeavin’.”
McCarthy’s announcement ahead of California’s Dec. 8 campaign filing deadline is likely to pave the way for candidates to run for his ruby-red congressional district, which includes much of the state’s Central Valley. will open. California Governor Gavin Newsom would have to call a special election to replace McCarthy.
McCarthy is the third lawmaker to resign from the 118th Congress rather than serve a full two-year term. He joins Rep. David Sicilian, Democrat of Rhode Island, and Rep. Chris Stewart, Republican of Utah, who both resigned earlier this year.
McCarthy’s resignation ends a 16-year career in the House. He was first elected to Congress in 2006 and nearly four years later was elected to the Majority Whip. He served as majority leader and House Republican leader before his historic elevation to the speakership earlier this year.