Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) dismissed reports on Friday that claimed he was potentially considering resigning from Congress after being ousted as Speaker of the House this week.
POLITICO and CNN reported earlier in the day that McCarthy was considering resigning after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) filed a motion to vacate the speakership this week, which led to a subsequent vote where several Republicans voted with the entire House Democrat Caucus to remove McCarthy. It was the first time in U.S. history that the House has removed a Speaker.
McCarthy said those reports were not accurate in remarks he made after they were published.
“I’m still here finishing my job,” he said. “No, I’m not resigning. I’m staying, so don’t worry. 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.”
McCarthy also said that he plans to run for re-election.
NEW: @SpeakerMcCarthy (R-Bakersfield) personally confirmed with @KGETnews that he has no intentions of resigning from his US House seat representing CA’s 20th Congressional District. To the contrary, McCarthy said he intends to run for reelection.
— Eytan Wallace (@EytanWallace) October 6, 2023
The long-term effects of McCarthy’s ouster may not be felt by the party until closer to when the next elections take place, as he was one of the top fundraisers in the party and he was able to generate large contributions to operations backing House Republicans because of the relationships that he had with people.
ABC News reported that McCarthy helped raise $645 million for his aligned Congressional Leadership Fund and its associated entities, including $215 million for the 2020 election cycle, $350 million for the 2022 midterms, $80 million thus far for 2024, and tens of millions more for National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
“I don’t think there is somebody who’s his equal. And there is a learning curve. The learning curve is the 13 months until the next election. That’s not enough time,” said California GOP strategist Sal Russo. “We’re definitely handicapped.”
“That’s the foolhardiest thing. The eight didn’t seem to realize that if it wasn’t for Kevin’s extraordinary efforts in fundraising and skills in campaigning and dedication to electing a Republican House, they wouldn’t be in the position they are now,” Russo said. “And they probably won’t be in this position in the next cycle, all things being equal.”
