Rep. Kevin McCarthy pumped the brakes on reports that he was resigning, telling reporters in the Capitol that he intends to finish his term and then some.
Reports indicated on Friday that the California Republican had planned to leave Congress after a new speaker is elected to replace him. Mr. McCarthy doused the rumor with cold water.
“I’m not resigning, I’ve got a lot more work to do,” Mr. McCarthy said. “I’m staying, so don’t worry, I got a lot more work to do.”
Mr. McCarthy, 58, has been a steady presence in Congress since first being elected to the House in 2006. He said he intends to finish his term and seek another to help increase the Republican majority in the House.
His first role in leadership came a few years after being elected, and led to a decade-long climb up the rungs of leadership that saw Mr. McCarthy take on the roles of chief deputy whip, majority whip, and eventually leader of the GOP conference from 2014 to 2023 through Republican and Democratic control of the lower chamber.
He won the speaker’s gavel in January after a grueling 15-round vote that led to major concessions and changes in House rules to win the support of ultra-conservatives who voted against him round after round.
SEE ALSO: Forty-five House GOP lawmakers decry ‘chaos caucus’ for ousting McCarthy
One rule change included the reworked motion to vacate rule, which was ultimately his undoing. The lawmaker was the first speaker to be ousted in a coup led by Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, in which eight Republicans joined with every House Democrat to boot Mr. McCarthy this week.
Mr. McCarthy said the he did not intend to run again for the speakership.
But some lawmakers want to see Mr. McCarthy return to the post. Rep. Tom McClintock of California said that no one other than Mr. McCarthy could garner the 218 votes necessary to win the speakership.
“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,” Mr. McClintock 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.”
Now lawmakers are scrambling to replace him.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio both have announced bids for the gavel, while Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma is mulling his candidacy.
More than a quarter of the Republican conference have thrown their support behind a candidate, according to The Washington Times’ whip count. None of the trio is a clear favorite.
Meanwhile, the eight conservatives who booted Mr. McCarthy have not publicly said who they would support to replace him. Mr. Gaetz has signaled that he would support Mr. Jordan, Mr. Scalise or a laundry list of other candidates.
Others, like Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, have said they want to wait until the party meets for a candidate forum scheduled by temporary speaker Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, a staunch McCarthy ally.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.