“I continue to believe I can best serve the country and this (Republican) conference as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee”.
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McCarthy, the current House majority leader, was the front-runner in the race for the speakership, which John Boehner abruptly resigned a week ago.
“We will announce the date for this election at a later date, and I’m confident we will elect a new Speaker in the coming weeks”, Boehner said.
Like Boehner’s abrupt announcement of resignation from Congress last month, McCarthy’s sudden drop out of the race highlighted how the insurgence of a relatively small group of hard-line conservatives within the Republican Party challenges the party establishment. Republicans were set to privately vote among their own caucus on Thursday, but it was postponed. Charlie Dent put it to me recently about the factional divisions inside the House, “On any issue of great outcome around here, we on the Republican side don’t have 218 votes for a bathroom break!”
Immediately afterward, Ryan ruled himself out as a candidate for speaker.
McCarthy, the No. 2 Republican in the House, had competition from more conservative lawmakers who felt marginalized under Boehner’s leadership. McCarthy told Fox News.
McCarthy will remain in his post, he said, meaning that Roswell Republican Rep. Tom Price will be blocked out from his majority leader campaign.
Roskam had been working to find a candidate that both factions of Republicans can rally behind.
House Republicans are again looking divided and in disarray, having forced out their sitting speaker, then watched the man who was expected to replace him suddenly pull out of the running for the job on Thursday. But with a significant bloc of conservatives, known as the House Freedom Caucus, throwing their support behind Florida Rep. Dan Webster, and with the last-minute candidacy of Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, McCarthy withdrew rather than face a possibly fractious vote.
“I’m stunned. I really didn’t anticipate this”, said Pavich, a grape grower.
U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, an Ooltewah Republican, said he was shocked by McCarthy’s decision.
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A few analysts have speculated that Boehner, on his way out, could move to help pass an extension of highway funding and an increase in the debt ceiling.
