Kevin McCarthy says he won't run for House speaker again after historic ouster

McCarthy became the first speaker ever removed by his House colleagues, and he leaves no obvious successor

Kevin McCarthy is out as House speaker
Kevin McCarthy is out as House speaker
(Image credit: Win McNamee / Getty Images)

The House stripped Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) of his gavel on Tuesday, with eight Republicans joining every Democrat present in the 116 to 110 vote to vacate the speaker's chair. 

The motion to oust McCarthy came from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), one of the handful of hard-right Republicans who had tormented McCarthy throughout his historically short speakership. The successful toppling of the speaker was "a move without precedent that left the chamber without a leader and plunged it into chaos," The New York Times reported. 

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.