Representative Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection and will instead retire from office at the end of December, leaving Republicans with an even thinner majority in the lower chamber until a special election is held to find his replacement.
“No matter the odds, or personal cost, we did the right thing. That may seem out of fashion in Washington these days, but delivering results for the American people is still celebrated across the country,” the recently ousted Speaker wrote in the Wall Street Journal. “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. I know my work is only getting started.”
“I will continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office. The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders.”
McCarthy became speaker in January after 15 rounds of balloting — the most in over 200 years— and week-long marathon negotiations, telling reporters at the time he was “glad it’s over.” “My father always told me it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. And now we need to finish strong for the American people,” McCarthy said in a speech on the House floor after the win.
In October, with the backing of Representative Matt Gaetz (R., Fl.), the House voted to remove McCarthy from the Speakership. Seven other Republicans joined Gaetz’s efforts, including Representatives Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eli Crane of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Matt Rosendale of Montana. Democrats voted unanimously in favor of ousting Gaetz.
Gaetz argued that supporting McCarthy’s ouster would end the “chaos” of the status quo, where members are forced to pass government funding bills all at once in order to avert a last-minute shutdown. “I think the fact that we have been governed in this country, since the mid-’90s, by continuing resolution and omnibus is chaos, and the way to liberate ourselves from that is a series of reforms to this body that I would hope would outlast Speaker McCarthy’s time, would outlast my time here,” Gaetz said at the time.
McCarthy’s removal sent the House into chaos throughout October, leading Republicans to nominate three successive candidates before finally succeeding in pushing Mike Johnson (R., La.) past the post to the Speaker’s gavel near month’s end. Johnson became the leading Republican candidate after Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R., Minn.) dropped his bid in mid October. Prior to that, House Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R., La.), both failed to secure the 217-votes needed to clear the threshold.
After winning the vote, but prior to being sworn in, the Louisiana representative thanked both House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) and McCarthy in his first speech on the House floor. “I know we see things from different points of view, but I know in your heart you want to do what’s right — so we’ll find common ground there,” Johnson said of Jeffries.
McCarthy’s departure, days after George Santos (R., N.Y.) was expelled from Congress, sets the stage for a special election in February 2024 to fill his seat.