Kevin McCarthy Dropping Hints That He Is Planning to Resign, Which Would Leave House GOP With an Even Tinier Majority
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Could Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) be leaving the House of Representatives early, leaving Republicans with an even slimmer majority before the next election? A report by Axios speculates that the former Speaker of the House is dropping hints that his time in office is shorter than expected.
McCarthy appeared at The New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday and discussed how he’s on the fence about running for reelection to his House seat in 2024. But Axios’s Juliegrace Bufke cited a source that said McCarthy is telling people privately that he wants to resign and “get the hell out,” possibly before the end of this year.
After being ousted as House Speaker in October after an effort led by eight House Republicans, Axios reported that McCarthy isn’t satisfied serving as a “rank and file” member of Congress. That, plus the sour grapes from having to work with the people who kicked him out, is making some lawmakers who spoke to Axios say, “I can’t really imagine that Kevin really wants to stick around” and “why the hell would he stay?”
But one of the biggest hints that McCarthy gave that indicated he might be spending less time in his office on Capitol Hill was a pre-Thanksgiving Instagram post featuring his dogs Teddy and Cash. While the puppers were definitely the stars of the post, the first image taken in McCarthy’s office also features some wall hangings on the floor, perhaps being prepared to be packed, and an open moving box that just made it into the shot on the lower right.
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This story comes as House Republicans prepare to hold a vote to expel indicted serial liar Rep. George Santos (R-NY) after a damning report from the House Ethics Committee, which could leave Republicans with an even slimmer majority than they already have. A special election could be held in McCarthy’s district to fill his safely-Republican seat, but Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom could also keep the seat empty until 2024.
