Rep. Kevin McCarthy said he is still undecided over whether he will run for re-election, with just days until California's Dec. 8 filing deadline.
"I have another week or so to decide because if I decide to run again, I have to know in my heart I'm giving 110%," McCarthy said Wednesday at The New York Times DealBook Summit.
“I have to know that I want to do that. I also have to know if I’m going to walk away, that I’m going to be fine with walking away,” the former House Speaker added. “If I’m walking away from something that I spent two decades at, I don’t want to look back and say I made an emotional decision."
"If I decide to run again, I have to know in my heart, I'm giving 110%," Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the California Republican who was recently ousted as House speaker, said at the DealBook Summit. He has until Dec. 8 to make a final decision on if he will run. https://t.co/2wuuTi9sQt pic.twitter.com/2qq3NpEdQF
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 29, 2023
McCarthy is publicly saying he is still on the fence, but privately he reportedly told donors he wants to "get the hell out," according to Axios. While his district is solidly Republican, a vacant seat could be problematic for Republicans until a special election is held.
Speculation about his potential exit was also raised ahead of Thanksgiving over an Instagram post that appeared to show his district office getting packed up.
According to The Sun, McCarthy's political operation is also "suspending accepting contributions, another potential indicator that the ex-Speaker could be winding down his tenure."
If McCarthy does retire, he promised to still be involved in Washington.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who led the effort to oust McCarthy, speculated where he'll end up.
"I suspect the former speaker will return to spend more time with the people he's always represented — on Wall Street and K Street. I don't imagine he'll be walking the streets of Bakersfield," the Florida Republican told Axios.