Who will replace Kevin McCarthy? An unprecedented recall vote ends Republican's run as House Speaker
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: In a first-of-its-kind move, Kevin McCarthy has been kicked out of the US House of Representatives chair after a motion to remove him was passed on Tuesday, October 3.
As per The Washington Post, McCarthy had to provide a secret list of ‘speakers-in-waiting’ when he was elected back in January.
BREAKING: Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy has been removed as House Speaker.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 3, 2023
Here is Matt Gaetz blasting members of Congress for being owned by “lobbyists and special interests” right before McCarthy was ousted.
“I take no lecture on asking patriotic Americans to weigh… pic.twitter.com/bk1jzGCEOR
Who is the likely replacement of Kevin McCarthy?
It is reported that House Majority Leader Steve Scalise could be the most anticipated replacement as the House GOP's No 2. He is presently going through treatment for blood cancer.
The House voted 216-210 on Tuesday, October 3, to vacate the nation’s third-highest post. House Leader Hakeem Jeffries is said to have directed his caucus to vote for new leadership.
It was Kevin Gaetz, a far-right Republican, and his allies who ultimately succeeded in winning widespread support from Democrats.
“The one thing I agree with my Democrat colleagues on is that for the last eight months, this House has been poorly led and we own that and we have to do something about it,” Gaetz said on the floor a few days before the motion.
“And you know what? My Democrat colleagues will have an opportunity to do something about that, too. And we will see if they bail out our failed speaker,” he added.
I kept government open so the families of our troops and border agents could get paid.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) October 3, 2023
If a handful of Republicans side with Democrats to remove me for that—it's a fight worth having. pic.twitter.com/BBz8yuC0ez
What did Donald Trump say on the development?
Ex-President Trump reacted on the ouster of Kevin on Truth Social. "Why is it that Republicans are always fighting among themselves, why aren’t they fighting the Radical Left Democrats who are destroying our Country?,” Trump asked.
“He did his thing for Kevin when he ran for speaker, but at the same time DJT has his own stuff to focus on, and he can’t be sticking his neck out whenever there’s a fight in the House, especially when he has people who endorse him on both sides,” one of Trump's allies told the outlet on Trump's calculated reaction.
“Chaos is never America's friend and it's never a friend of American families that are struggling. And I'm deeply disappointed that a handful of Republicans would partner with all the Democrats in the House of Representatives to oust the speaker of the House,” reacted former Vice President Mike Pence.
Meanwhile, ex-Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson posted on X, “What happened today on the floor of the House of Representatives is a gift to Democrats. It sets off alarm bells as the 2024 election nears. There is hope across America but Washington is broken. And today the GOP illustrated the dysfunction.”
Republican Jen Kiggans, R-Va., called the unprecedented day “truly frustrating for those of us who ran for Congress to get the country back on track,” reports CNN.
“All the good work that we’ve done can be derailed by a small group. It is extremely frustrating," Kiggans added.