After one of the most pivotal changes to have occurred in Washington, D.C., now-former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) may be considering making a career-changing decision.
On Friday, Politico reported that McCarthy may resign from the House before his term ends in January 2025.
Citing several sources close to McCarthy, Politico reported that the Republican told several fellow GOP members that, after the unprecedented move by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to oust him from his Speaker position, he may return to California.
Just hours after eight Republicans voted to vacate him from his speakership, McCarthy reportedly indicated in a closed-door meeting that he wanted to retire.
“I’m going to spend time with my family,” McCarthy said, according to the outlet. “I might have been given a bad break, but I’m still the luckiest man alive.”
However, in an interview with Fox News on Friday, McCarthy stressed that he plans to stay and fight for the American people.
“No, I’m not resigning. I’m staying, so don’t worry,” McCarthy said. “We’re going to keep the majority. I’m going to help the people I got here, and we’re going to expand it further.”
Several Republicans are advocating for McCarthy to run for the position again, arguing that no one else could get the 218 Republican votes needed to be speaker.
The “only workable outcome is to restore Kevin McCarthy as Speaker under party rules that respect and enforce the right of the majority party to elect him,” Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) said. “This depends entirely on several of the dissidents to disenthrall themselves from their decision and to repair the damage before it is too late. I appeal to them to act while there is still time.”
McCarthy promised his GOP colleagues he would still be an active voice for their party, throwing a blatant dig at the eight who voted against him.
“I’ll do anything I can to help almost all of you. Don’t worry, I’ve raised a helluva lot of money in the last hour,” McCarthy reportedly said during the meeting.