Kevin McCarthy insists he will stay in Congress after historic ouster as chairman: Republican shuts down reports he will resign – and signals he will seek re-election next year
- If McCarthy were to resign, it would have damaged the narrow four-vote majority in the House of Representatives
Kevin McCarthy insisted he will not resign from Congress despite being ousted from the presidency this week, and said he will even run for re-election in 2024.
‘I’m not resigning. I have a lot more work to do,” he told reporters after speculation he was eyeing a resignation.
“I want to keep the majority,” McCarthy said, insisting he would run again next cycle. ‘We’re going to expand it further.’
If McCarthy were to resign, it would have damaged the narrow four-vote majority in the House of Representatives. The race would have to go to a special election that Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom could delay putting on the calendar.
During his retirement following a historic vote that removed him from the top post in the House of Representatives, McCarthy said, “I haven’t thought about it” when asked about the possibility of resigning.
A motion to vacate the speaker’s seat passed by a vote of 216-210, with eight Republicans joining Democrats to succeed the House leader on Tuesday.
Kevin McCarthy insisted he will not resign from Congress despite being ousted from the speakership this week, and said he will even run for re-election in 2024.
McCarthy, California, became the first speaker in the 234-year history of the U.S. Congress to be ousted and have his gavel taken away by fellow lawmakers.
During a post-vote conference, McCarthy told members he was looking forward to spending more time with his family now that he is no longer a speaker.
McCarthy ally Patrick McHenry, chairman of the Financial Services Committee, has been named as interim chairman, but now the Republican Party will launch a marathon effort to elect a successor while it is in turmoil.
Many Republicans are now demanding a change to House Republican Party rules, which currently allow a single member motion to be withdrawn, or one member to call a vote to impeach the Speaker.
Republicans return to Capitol Hill on Monday to debate who will lead them next, amid a contentious battle between Rep. Jim Jordan, chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee, and the No. 2 House Republican, Steve Scalise.
Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (left) faces off against Majority Leader Steve Scalise (right).
They are expected to vote on a candidate as a conference before the speaker votes on the House floor
The humiliating end for the 58-year-old McCarthy sent shockwaves across Capitol Hill and secured his title as the shortest-serving Speaker since 1875 after a rollercoaster nine-month stint.
It came after an uprising led by his nemesis, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, and a small group of hardline Republicans who viewed McCarthy as a weak conservative.
