Where do Republicans go from here?
The acrimonious removal of Kevin McCarthy is a sign of choppy waters ahead for the GOP
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
If and when our current whirlwind of congressional dust finally settles, California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy's tenure as the 55th speaker of the House of Representatives will likely be remembered as a historic one — for all the wrong reasons. From his ignominious struggle to grasp the speaker's gavel to his even more humiliating ouster from that role which he'd coveted for years, McCarthy's brief turn at the reins of the House GOP caucus may ultimately prove most notable for an era of subsequent Republican disarray that seems inevitable following his untimely deposition. With a barely-there majority and, for the time being, no clear leadership to guide them, House Republicans must now grapple with an intra-party schism that has thrown them — and Congress as a whole — into entirely uncharted waters.
McCarthy himself has declared he has no interest in running once more for the speakership, and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, the hard-right architect and instigator of this week's historic motion to vacate the speaker's chair, faces the prospect of serious blowback from his machinations. As the GOP heads into presidential primary season, which in many ways mirrors the same ideological rift that led it to this point, how will it overcome the fractious and rancorous divisions that have increasingly come to define the party at large? As they air their political dirty laundry for the public to see, where do Republicans go from here?
What the commentators said
The most immediate concern for Republicans and Congress at large is that absent a speaker, "business in the House will come to a standstill," NPR reported. While McCarthy had named Rep. Patrick McHenry, a relatively low-profile North Carolina Republican, to serve as interim speaker in his absence, the "size and scope of McHenry's authority" remains to be seen. For now, McHenry's main task according to Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) is to "get us a new speaker." It's a process that could take at least a week, lawmakers admitted to Reuters, which will in turn "eat into the time necessary" for Congress to act ahead of the Nov. 17 deadline to avert a government shutdown.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
Timing is crucial here, longtime Republican strategist Ron Bonjean agreed on X, formerly known as Twitter. The GOP must "select a candidate for speaker within 72 hours and then have a House floor vote this weekend" in order to "stop the bleeding immediately." But while there are "plenty of Republicans" who could wield the gavel, Bonjean, who previously served as communications director for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, told "All Things Considered," McCarthy's ousting "would give many people pause in terms of whether or not they would actually want to do this job, because it's virtually untenable" without procedural changes to prevent a similar coup. As things stand now "it is not clear who, if anyone," among Republican lawmakers has the support to win the position to begin with, The New York Times reported.
For the time being, the GOP seems either unwilling or unable to "heal its bitter divisions and coalesce around a new speaker," according to Politico. The broader question is whether a "profoundly fractured conference can muster enough unity" so that whoever ends up filling that role has "any kind of a durable working majority." The "real danger" for Republicans, agreed The Washington Post's Aaron Blake, is the creation of "uncertainty lingering into the election year and more permanently defining the GOP."
What next?
Although there is no clear heir apparent for McCarthy's vacated speaker's seat, McHenry, as well as Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.) and Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.), are "being mentioned as replacements," according to Reuters, which cautioned that "none have said if they are interested, and other names could emerge in the week ahead."
Despite his already busy schedule of presidential campaigning and looming court appearances, former President Donald Trump "might be open to helping the Republican Party" as speaker "at least in the short term," Fox News host Sean Hannity said Tuesday, citing "some House Republicans [who] have been in contact with and have started an effort to draft former president." On X, Texas Rep. Troy Nehls claimed to have spoken with multiple Republican lawmakers who "support" his plan to nominate Trump as speaker.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Rafi Schwartz is a Politics Writer with The Week, where he focuses on elections, Congress, and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic, a senior writer with Splinter News, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD, The Forward, and elsewhere.
Rafi currently lives in the Twin Cities, where he does not bike, run, or take part in any team sports. He does, however, have a variety of interests, hobbies, and passions.
-
Ben Fountain's 6 favorite books about Haiti
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Marie Vieux-Chauvet, Katherine Dunham and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
6 picturesque homes in apartments abroad
Feature Featuring a wall of windows in Costa Rica and a luxury department store-turned-home in New Zealand
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why 2023 has been the year of strikes and labor movements
The Explainer From Hollywood to auto factories, workers are taking to the picket lines
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Is Trump’s Jim Jordan endorsement about the speakership or himself?
Today's Big Question By backing his longtime congressional ally, the former President keeps an eye out for number one.
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
'The beginning of the end'
Instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass Published
-
Trump reportedly shared US nuclear submarine secrets with loose-lipped Australian billionaire
Speed Read Special counsel Jack Smith is aware of Trump's alleged disclosure to a foreigner who belonged to the Mar-a-Lago club
By Peter Weber Published
-
Is Rep. Patrick McHenry a major player or a transitionary flash in the pan?
Today's Big Question With nebulous authority over a fractured Republican caucus, the newly installed speaker pro tempore has his work cut out for him.
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
'Some bad ideas just won't die'
Instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass Published
-
Will Matt Gaetz's push to oust Kevin McCarthy backfire on him?
Talking Point Some Republicans are calling for the Florida Republican to be expelled from the House
By Justin Klawans Published
-
How Kevin McCarthy 'dug his own grave' in his failed bid to remain House speaker
The Explainer McCarthy's speakership did not have to collapse in such a dramatic fashion
By Peter Weber Published
-
'Do right by Haiti'
Instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass Published