McCarthy had brought the Republicans into the majority,but found it was much more difficult to lead the factions.
His toppling from the Speaker’s post was fuelled by grievances from his party’s hard-right flank,including over his decision to work with Democrats to keep the federal government open rather than risk a shutdown.
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana,a Republican who succeeded him as Speaker,tweeted that McCarthy “served faithfully and sacrificed substantially for the good of our country and our cause”.
Speaking later to reporters,Johnson called McCarthy a “long and trusted friend” and said he was “sad to see him go”.
Representative Matt Gaetz,who led the effort to remove McCarthy,tweeted a one-word response after his announcement:“McLeavin.”
McCarthy,58,arrived in the House in January 2007 after a stint in the California Assembly,where he was minority leader. In Congress,he manoeuvred through his party’s hierarchy before being elected Speaker in January.
The days-long floor fight that preceded his elevation to the House’s top job foreshadowed a stormy tenure,at a time when former president Donald Trump remained the de facto leader of the party and deep divisions within the GOP raised serious questions about the party’s ability to govern.
It took a record 15 votes over four days for McCarthy to line up the support he needed to win the post he had long coveted,finally prevailing on a 216-212 vote with Democrats backing leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and six Republican holdouts voting present. Not since the Civil War era has a Speaker’s vote dragged through so many rounds of counting.
McCarthy emerged from the fight weakened,especially considering Republicans held only a fragile margin in the chamber after a predicted “red wave” failed to materialise in the 2022 elections.
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In the Speaker’s job,McCarthy’s well-known savvy for fundraising and political glad-handing appeared ill-suited for corralling his party’s hard-right members. Deals he cut to become Speaker — including a rules change that allowed any single representative to file a motion to remove him — left him vulnerable.
When he became Speaker,“he faced new challenges that required a different skill set,” said Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney,a one-time domestic policy analyst for House Republicans.
And “the deals he made to become Speaker made it almost impossible for him to succeed as Speaker”.
McCarthy,the son of a firefighter and a homemaker,has long depicted himself as a tireless battler. He is fond of quoting his father,who told him,“It’s not how you start,it’s how you finish.”
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McCarthy is from a Republican-leaning area in central California where oil derricks blanket hillsides and country music fans pack into Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace hall. Far from the southern California beaches and San Francisco’s restaurants,farming and oil pumping shape the economy.
It wasn’t immediately clear what would happen with the vacancy,which could have implications for Republican control. Only a handful of seats separates the two parties.
In California,Friday is the last day for candidates to file paperwork to enter the 2024 elections. If the vacancy occurs before Friday,Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom would be required to call a special election to fill McCarthy’s seat.
If McCarthy steps down after that time,it would be up to the governor to decide whether to call a special election.
McCarthy has been credited with helping recruit a new,more diverse generation of GOP House members,including in his home state,where the delegation includes two South Korean immigrants,both women.
AP
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