Kevin McCarthy’s Unconventional Role in the House Speakership Race

In the race for the House speakership, Steve Scalise finds himself working tirelessly to secure the coveted position. However, the previous speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has chosen a rather unconventional role in this battle.

McCarthy has made a deliberate decision to step back and not take a prominent role in the quest to secure the next speaker, despite offering his endorsement to Scalise once the Louisiana Republican secured the nomination. He’s opted for low-profile appearances in behind-the-scenes meetings where fellow members have been discussing their concerns, even missing crucial gatherings like the one that occurred on a significant Thursday.

Before members cast their votes for the new speaker behind closed doors on a Wednesday, McCarthy was introduced as Speaker Emerita and, intriguingly, recited a Mother Teresa poem to the GOP conference. It seems like McCarthy is not actively campaigning for the role, but he’s still very much present in the speaker’s office. He hosts dinners with his close allies and meets with former Trump administration officials. Visitors to the speaker’s suite are greeted by a Kevin McCarthy speaker sign, still hanging prominently overhead, while Scalise continues to operate from his Majority Leader office.

Although McCarthy has pledged his support for Scalise, he is not going out of his way to persuade any holdouts. Strangely, he has told his supporters not to nominate him for the speakership, but he is not explicitly discouraging them from voting for him either, leaving many within his party still regarding him as their de facto leader.

When questioned about McCarthy’s stance earlier in the week, GOP Rep. Carlos Gimenez, who voted for McCarthy, clarified that McCarthy’s statement about not wanting to be nominated doesn’t necessarily imply that he doesn’t want people to vote for him.

Despite a generally cordial working relationship, McCarthy and Scalise have, over the years, harbored suspicions about each other’s ambitions, seeing one another as potential rivals. In fact, Scalise once contemplated challenging McCarthy for leadership in 2018. McCarthy’s strategy during his January speakership battle, the debt ceiling crisis, and the government funding deadline was to rely on trusted allies Reps. Patrick McHenry and Garret Graves rather than the top deputies on his leadership team.

McCarthy, in a press conference, admitted that it would be a substantial challenge for Scalise to secure the floor votes necessary to become the new speaker. He also pointed out that Scalise had told many people that he would garner 150 votes, but he fell short of that mark.

Some of Scalise’s supporters perceived McCarthy’s comments as an attempt to undermine Scalise’s bid for the speakership, especially given that the actual number of supporters Scalise secured in the election was only 113, well below the number suggested by McCarthy.

In the midst of these behind-the-scenes negotiations, McCarthy has attempted to position himself as a leader by initiating a media blitz at the beginning of the week, focusing on the recent attack on Israel. He delivered these remarks from a room typically reserved for leadership and major press conferences, a space he had also used after his removal from the speakership.

In summary, Kevin McCarthy’s unconventional approach in the House speakership race has created intrigue and uncertainty within the Republican ranks, leaving many to wonder about the dynamics at play in the race for this significant leadership position.