In a surprising turn of events, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, was ousted from his position on Tuesday following a contentious vote. The move came as multiple House Democrats indicated to GOP lawmakers that they would help McCarthy avoid being ousted, but ultimately joined forces with Republicans who wanted new leadership. The ousting of McCarthy has sparked a heated debate within the GOP and raised questions about the future of the party.
One Republican member of the Problem Solvers Caucus revealed that Democrats had initially signaled their willingness to vote “present” in order to lower the threshold needed for McCarthy’s political survival. However, something changed over the weekend, and the Democrats ultimately joined forces with Representative Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, to oust McCarthy. This unexpected turn of events left many Republicans feeling betrayed and frustrated.
Gaetz introduced a motion to vacate against McCarthy on Monday evening, and seven other Republicans joined him, along with every House Democrat, to successfully remove McCarthy from leadership. Republicans who were part of the Problem Solvers Caucus appealed to Democrats to vote “present” on the initial procedural vote, hoping to buy time to pull together a bipartisan proposal on a House Rules overhaul. However, Democrats refused to provide the courtesy of 48 hours to sort out the situation.
Senior members of the Problem Solvers Caucus had made last-ditch efforts to appeal to their Democratic counterparts and believed they might help save McCarthy’s speakership. However, several Democratic members who had initially indicated they would support McCarthy ultimately changed their minds and joined Gaetz in ousting the speaker. This unexpected shift has caused tension within the Problem Solvers Caucus, with some Republican lawmakers considering leaving the group.
Representative Josh Gottheimer, the Democratic co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, defended the group in an interview, highlighting that McCarthy had not reached out to Democrats for help. Gottheimer explained that McCarthy had stated he did not want to engage with Democrats or seek any deals from them, making it difficult to reach a compromise.
The ousting of McCarthy as House Speaker has significant implications for the Republican Party and its future direction. As the party grapples with internal divisions and leadership changes, it remains to be seen how these developments will impact their ability to effectively govern and work with Democrats on key issues.
Elizabeth Elkind, a reporter for Digital, focused on Congress and the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and politics, contributed to this article.
