Chief position in the US Congress
McCarthy rejects the Republicans
October 11, 2023, 2:57 a.m
Kevin McCarthy is apparently burying his ambitions to return to the head of the US House of Representatives. The sacked former incumbent no longer wants to stand for election.
According to media reports, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, who was deposed last week, does not want to run for the post again. The Republican has asked his party colleagues not to nominate him, reports CNN, among others. He will support the person his group can agree on.
McCarthy had previously indicated that he would no longer rule out running for office again. The 58-year-old was voted out as chairman of the House of Representatives last week. In a vote, in addition to the Democrats, eight Republican members also spoke in favor of his removal. It was the first time in US history that an incumbent in this position was removed. Afterwards, McCarthy announced that he would not be available again.
The Republicans met behind closed doors on Tuesday evening (local time) to hold a kind of candidate forum. An internal vote is planned for Wednesday. There is still no date for the official vote in the House of Representatives among all MPs. After McCarthy’s deselection, the extreme right-wing Jim Jordan, who is supported by former President Donald Trump, and the somewhat more moderate Steve Scalise announced their candidacies last week. They should present their positions at the candidate forum.
In order to be elected to the third most important office in the US government after President and Vice President, an absolute majority is required among the members of the House of Representatives present. The Republicans only have a very narrow majority in the chamber, so a handful of dissenters are enough to block a candidacy. When he was elected in January, McCarthy was only able to secure such a majority in the 15th round.