“I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways,” McCarthy said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. “I know my work is only getting started.”
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who was ousted as House speaker in October in a revolt by hard-right members, will not seek reelection to his congressional seat and will retire at the end of the month, he announced Wednesday.
“I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways,” McCarthy said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. “I know my work is only getting started.”
McCarthy’s retirement will end a 17-year House career in which he rose quickly through the ranks of Republican leadership, culminating with a nine-month stint as speaker. His ouster marked the first time in history that the House voted to remove its leader, a move that threw the chamber into a period of instability.
McCarthy’s term was set to end in January 2025. He represents California’s 20th District, which covers much of the state’s Central Valley. A departure before the end of his term means that, in the next two weeks, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will call a special election to fill McCarthy’s seat. That vote is unlikely to be held until summer, based on California law.
Until the special election, McCarthy’s absence will further narrow a fractious Republican majority in the House. When the House returns in January, Republicans can lose only two votes from their ranks to pass any legislation at a time when the chamber faces major decisions on government spending and foreign aid. That dynamic could force Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who assumed the post after a tumultuous three weeks following McCarthy’s ouster, to work with Democrats to avert a partial government shutdown as soon as mid-January.
McCarthy announced his decision ahead of a Friday filing deadline in California to run for reelection. Though McCarthy initially denied reports that he would retire in the weeks after his ouster, he ultimately suggested he was weighing the decision as rumors swirled among Republican lawmakers that he was heading for the exit.
“If I decide to run again, I have to know in my heart I’m giving 110 percent. I have to know that I want to do that. I also have to know if I’m going to walk away, that I’m going to be fine walking away,” McCarthy said at a New York Times event last week. “It’s a gut call.”
McCarthy will join the more than three dozen House members who have announced they will not seek reelection in 2024, because they are either retiring or seeking other office. His announcement also comes one day after his closest ally, Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (R-N.C.), declared he was retiring after serving a full term as Financial Services Committee chairman and temporarily as the speaker pro-tempore, a post for which McCarthy tapped him in the event of his ouster.
