Conservatives are buzzing that Kevin McCarthy dropped his speakership bid because he was allegedly having an affair

U.S. Representative Renee Ellmers (R-NC)
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Thursday shocked the political world by suddenly dropping his bid to replace John Boehner (R-Ohio) as speaker, with the initial speculation focusing on his inability to win the support of hard-core conservatives who for years have made life miserable for the House Republican leadership.

But could there be another reason McCarthy dropped out?

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.