As recently as September, then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy boasted, “I never quit.” In hindsight, perhaps “never” was the wrong choice of words. NBC News reported this morning:
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who this fall became the first speaker to be ousted from power in the middle of a congressional term, said Wednesday he will resign from office at the end of this month.
The California Republican made the announcement in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in which he bragged about a variety of bills that passed the House before being rejected in the Senate.
“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,” McCarthy wrote. “I know my work is only getting started.”
A half-hour after the op-ed was published online, the former speaker released a video message on his decision.
As the son of a firefighter from Bakersfield, my story is the story of America. For me, every moment came with a great deal of devotion and responsibility.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) December 6, 2023
Serving you in Congress and as the 55th Speaker of the House has been my greatest honor. pic.twitter.com/jNnYQ8UO4k
As a matter of legislative arithmetic, this is hardly good news for GOP leaders. A week ago, the House Republican conference had 222 members, which meant on any given vote, the majority could only afford to lose four of its own members. Late last week, former Rep. George Santos was expelled, which left the conference with 221. After McCarthy exits later this month, the number will fall to 220.
Though there’s some ambiguity as to when Republican Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio will step down to become Youngstown State University’s new president, it’s possible we’ll soon see the GOP conference shrink to 219 — in a chamber where it takes 218 votes to pass anything.
But as the former House speaker prepares to walk away from Capitol Hill altogether, it’s also worth appreciating just how badly the last year has gone for the longtime Republican congressman.
After the GOP secured a majority in the 2022 midterm elections, McCarthy probably felt quite a bit of optimism about the road ahead. He’d soon move into the big office and wield the powerful gavel. The possibilities were great.
At least, that is, in theory.
Exactly a year ago today, however, McCarthy learned that he’d face an intra-party challenge for speaker. A month later, he suffered through an extended — and rather humiliating — process in which it took McCarthy a whopping 15 ballots to take control of the chamber.








