5 takeaways from McCarthy’s exit from Congress

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) announcement that he is leaving Congress came as no surprise — but his departure will have ripple effects for the House and the Republican Convention.

McCarthy is stepping down after a 17-year stint in the House that took him to the highest level of congressional administration — only to be defeated by a group of Republican rabble rousers, leaving without a clear place in the GOP conference and conflict with the conservatives. who took the lead in his expulsion.

However, his departure marks a critical moment for the House GOP Caucus — where McCarthy has been a key figure for years in his rise to leadership positions — and a disturbing blow to ahead for the majority of the GOP.

Here are five reasons why McCarthy left Congress.

“Young Guns” season finale.

McCarthy’s departure from Congress means that all three “Young People” are officially on the bench.

McCarthy worked with Reps. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Eric Cantor (R-Va.) after he began his term in Congress in 2007, establishing a trio of emerging Republicans seeking to shake up the status quo in the GOP.

The group – which published a book in 2010 entitled “Young Guns” – tried to bring the party back to its conservative base, with a view towards economic freedom and limited government, when there was anger at the atrocities of the past years and the rise of the government. spending under the George W. Bush administration.

They recruited powerful conservatives, who helped shepherd the GOP to victory in 2010, and expanded the chamber to their governor after four years in the minority. .

But some of those workers came back to admire them. Making a more difficult point – according to the Tea Party against the establishment – the new lawmakers looked to knock the Young Guns when they seek leadership positions.

The three eventually fell. Cantor, who was the leader at the time, lost his first bid for re-election in 2014 against Dave Brat. Ryan, the Speaker, announced his retirement in 2019 after pressure from his right wing. And now McCarthy, the former Speaker of the House in a shambles by Democrats and a group of eight Republicans, says he’s quit.

Minority GOP majority giving more pressure to Johnson

McCarthy’s resignation further thins the already narrow House GOP majority, an ominous sign for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as the chamber heads into a series of showdowns. law.

When McCarthy left, and former representative George Santos (RN.Y.) was fired, the House would be 220 Republicans to 213 Democrats, meaning Republicans would only have three votes can be lost on any bill-line bill, and all opinions. members are present.

That part won’t change if McCarthy stays in Congress. But the landscape could get even worse for Republicans in the coming months.

Voters in New York’s 3rd Congressional District are slated to elect a replacement for Santos on Feb. 13, and the area can turn to Democratic control. The district broke for President Biden in the 2020 election by about eight percentage points, and the non-partisan Cook Political Report declared the special election a “put up.”

If Santos’ seat goes blue and McCarthy goes, Republicans can only lose two votes in any party-line election.

There’s also some digital signage in the House’s digital mess. Rep. Brian Higgins (DN.Y.) is set to retire in February to run the Shea’s Performing Arts Center and Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) said he plans to leave before mid-March to become president of Youngstown State University, two. A breakup can end up being a drain on both sides. Also, representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) is on the ballot on Saturday for mayor of Houston.

Reopen the cast to release the wound

McCarthy’s announcement quickly reopened wounds from the October layoff vote, which ended the California Republican’s run for Speaker – and lay the groundwork for his departure.

The eight Republicans – led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) – who voted to oust McCarthy took a lot of heat after the historic ouster of the GOP leader, receiving harsh criticism and insults from their colleagues on the sidelines left.

With McCarthy now on his way out, those dreaded feelings have risen again.

While giving a statement about the House GOP majority, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) accused Gaetz, writing on X the energy in the room “is a direct result of @RepMattGaetz’s inability to think further into the future than a tweet.”

Gaetz, however, is defending himself from the accusation: “434 members are willing to serve in the House without being Speaker. It’s my fault Kevin isn’t one of them?” he replied to Van Orden sent to X.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) also fired her fire at lawmakers who fired McCarthy and voted to fire Santos in a sent to X: “Congratulations to the Freedom Caucus for one and the 105 Rep. firing our own for another. I assure you the Republican voters did not give us enough to sink the ship. Hopefully no one dies.”

Go to the GOP

McCarthy is the latest in a growing list of GOP veterans running for office, a move that signals a shift in the Republican Party from the traditional, Chamber of Commerce conservatism that defined the GOP in the many years ago in America-first education was initiated. by the Tea Party and increased under former President Trump.

McCarthy is stepping down at the end of the year, marking the third straight House GOP leader to be prematurely retired by the right-wing party in the past decade. And Reps. Patrick McHenry (RN.C.), chairman of the Financial Services Committee, and Kay Granger (R-Texas), chairman of the Appropriations Committee, have said that running for re-election next year. dismissing the House as having about 60 years of combined experience when including McCarthy.

As House lawmakers flee the Capitol, more conservatives are taking their stand — and, with that, the GOP’s Congressional position is changing.

The conference, for example, has become increasingly independent on foreign policy issues – the issue of Ukraine, for one – and has used hard methods to increase the pressure of various demands, such as the use of closed for expenses.

Gaetz, a close friend of Trump’s and a conservative figure in the House GOP, said he expected the “Establishment Exodus” to lead to the arrival of a new crop of passionate conservatives. uses its take-no-prisoners approach.

“There is an Exodus Order from the House Republican Conference. My hope is that we fill these organizations with people who are willing to fight for the US First agenda,” he said. written in X in response to McCarthy’s resignation notice.

Replaced McCarthy in California; what’s next for Speaker?

Once McCarthy officially retires from Congress – he said he will at the end of this year – Gov. California Gavin Newsom (D) has 14 days to schedule a special election, according to state law. That election must be held between 126 and 140 days later.

However, if McCarthy resigns after January 3, 2024, Newsom will have the option to call a special election, or wait until in the November general election to fill the seat permanently.

Regardless, California’s 20th Congressional District is expected to remain red: the breakdown for former President Trump over President Biden is about 24 percent in 2020.

But if Newsom, a Democrat, decides to leave the seat vacant for a year, there could be another problem for the GOP majority.

As for McCarthy, the former Speaker said he will not leave politics despite leaving the House. In the Wall Street Journal think thoughtswhen news of his resignation was announced, McCarthy said “I know my career is about to begin.”

“I will continue to hire the best and smartest people in our country to run for elected office. The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am eager to provide my experience to support the next generation of leaders,” he added.