The McCarthy Fallout

By John McCormack

Tuesday, October 03, 2023

 

On Tuesday afternoon, after the clerk of the House of Representatives gaveled shut the vote to oust Kevin McCarthy and announced that “the office of speaker of the House of the United States House of Representative is hereby declared vacant,” a member on the Democratic side of the aisle loudly asked the question on everyone’s mind: “Now what?”

 

A simple majority of House members — eight Republicans plus all 208 Democrats present — had taken the historic step of booting a sitting speaker, and they had no idea who would replace him or what the consequences of their vote might be. But, in rapid succession, we did learn a several things. 

 

Kevin McCarthy had named his trusted deputy, Congressman Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, to serve as speaker pro tempore in the event the speakership was vacated, which means McHenry will serve as speaker until a true replacement is elected.

 

McCarthy announced at a press conference that he would not try to recapture the job he had just lost and was noncommittal when asked if he’d even remain in Congress.

 

At a press conference, a loose and chatty McCarthy was happy to settle scores. He claimed that Nancy Pelosi had privately assured him that she would have his back if a motion to vacate ever came up because she thought opposing the measure was important in order to protect the institution. (One of speaker pro tempore McHenry’s first official acts was to kick Pelosi out of her office in the Capitol.) 

 

McCarthy openly accused his leading GOP detractor, Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, of bringing forward the motion to vacate because of an ongoing ethics investigation into Gaetz. “Regardless of what you think, I have seen the texts. It was all about his ethics,” McCarthy said. He also hit Montana congressman Matt Rosendale, another one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, for having rooted for a slim GOP majority in 2022. Rosendale’s vote is already serving as fodder for Republicans opposed to Rosendale’s likely 2024 primary bid for the U.S. Senate. 

 

Perhaps the most surprising GOP vote to oust McCarthy came from self-styled moderate Nancy Mace of South Carolina. Speaking to reporters outside the Capitol, Mace said she was upset McCarthy hadn’t held votes on all twelve appropriations bills and accused him of breaking promises to hold votes on bills she’d introduced (such as a measure to help clear a backlog of rape kits and another bill to make it easier for the FDA to approve different forms of contraception for over-the-counter use). Mace also seemed miffed that “the speaker decided to call my staff yesterday rather than call me.” At his press conference, McCarthy said reporters would need to “wait for my book” to get his thoughts about Mace, but he then proceeded to divulge that her chief of staff had told him that McCarthy had always kept his word.

 

On Tuesday evening, news broke that Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Republican Policy Committee chairman Kevin Hern, and Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan were all interested in seeking the speakership. Elise Stefanik, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, announced she would not. 

 

The House plans to remain adjourned until next Tuesday, when the House GOP will host a conference-wide candidate forum for the speakership election. The vote(s) for speaker will reportedly begin on Wednesday. After the 15 rounds of votes it took to make McCarthy speaker in January — and after the first vote in history to remove the speaker on Tuesday — it’s anyone’s guess when the next speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives will be elected.