On Wednesday, Kevin McCarthy was ousted as speaker of the House of Representatives. Although 96% of Republicans voted to keep him in office, Matt Gaetz's impeachment motion managed to unite all Democrats and seven conservatives, enough to remove him. The Californian became the first speaker of the House to be stripped of the gavel.
In the following days, rumors began circulating about McCarthy's future, particularly one that indicated he would resign from Congress before his congressional term ended. According to POLITICO, which cited "two people familiar with the matter," McCarthy "has made clear he plans to stay at least through the speakership election that begins next week before ending his House career, these people said, in order to help the party steady itself after a seismic shakeup."
However, the now-former speaker took it upon himself to deny the rumors. In dialogue with Fox News, he assured that those rumors were false and that he would continue in his legislative role.
Who will be the new speaker of the House?
The fight for the gavel has two heavyweight contenders, Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Steve Scalise (R-LA). The first has the support of Donald Trump and is an option backed by the most conservative congressmen while simultaneously being an ally of the leadership since January.
Scalise was McCarthy's number 2 and functioned as a constant bridge between his boss and the group of conservatives. He has already secured important endorsements, such as those of Tom Emmer (R-TN) and Tony Gonzales (R-TX).
Another possible candidate is Kevin Hern (R-OK). Perhaps the least media-friendly of the three, he serves as chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a very influential legislative group in the Lower House. Although he has not yet formally entered the race, he has already ruled out a possible debate between the candidates for speaker of the House of Representatives.
