McCarthy announces he’ll complete full term and run for reelection

October 06, 2023 04:45 PM

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced he would finish out his term and run for reelection in 2024 despite rumors he may resign early after his removal from the No. 1 leadership position.

“No, I’m not resigning. I’m staying, so don’t worry,” McCarthy told reporters on Friday. “We’re going to keep the majority. I’m going to help the people I got here, and we’re going to expand it.”

HOUSE SPEAKER RACE ENDORSEMENT LIVE TRACKER: WHO HAS BACKED WHO SO FAR?

Former House Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) departs the office still bearing his nameplate after a day of meetings at the Capitol in Washington on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. McCarthy was voted out of the job of speaker this week by a contingent of hard-line conservatives in an extraordinary showdown, a first in U.S. history.

The announcement comes after McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday, just hours after his removal as speaker, that he was undecided on his political future in the House.

McCarthy was removed in a 216-210 vote after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) filed a motion to vacate over allegations the former speaker crafted a “secret deal” with Democrats to advance Ukraine funding in exchange for support on a continuing resolution passed over the weekend to avert a government shutdown. All Democrats voted in favor of ousting McCarthy, prompting some Republicans to accuse the opposite party of throwing the lower chamber into a state of uncertainty despite the motion being introduced by a GOP member.

When McCarthy ran for speaker in January, the California Republican made a number of concessions to rank-and-file lawmakers in exchange for their support in the leadership elections. Part of that deal was a rule change to allow a single member to raise a motion to vacate, which would then force a vote on the measure.

Now, some of McCarthy’s closest allies and top Republicans are suggesting repealing that rule altogether, arguing it makes it too difficult to govern.

“We can’t put a new speaker in place with this structure that is completely dysfunctional. You can’t do that. That’s wrong. It would be unjust to another speaker,” Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) said. “Let’s keep in mind: There is a conference rule that says that you cannot bring a motion to vacate without the support of the conference.”

A group of more than 80 House Republicans sent a letter to acting Speaker Patrick McHenry (R-NC) on Friday requesting a meeting to change that conference rule, seeking to raise the threshold needed to file a motion to vacate.

Until the House elects a new speaker, lawmakers cannot conduct any legislative business, complicating lawmakers’ tight timeline to advance their appropriations bills before the Nov. 17 deadline. House Republicans are expected to hold a candidate forum on Tuesday evening, with the earliest possible vote being held on the following Wednesday.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

At least two House Republicans have declared their candidacy so far: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH). Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) is also expected to announce a bid in the coming days.

However, it could take days to elect a new speaker if Republicans can’t coalesce around one nominee. It took 15 rounds of voting to elect McCarthy in January, with some GOP lawmakers suggesting it could take just as long this time around.