CORRECTION-USA-CONGRESS/REPUBLICANS-MCCARTHY UPDATE McCarthy, withdrawing from race for Speaker, says House Republicans need fresh face to unite

Record ID: 134590

  • Title: CORRECTION-USA-CONGRESS/REPUBLICANS-MCCARTHY UPDATE McCarthy, withdrawing from race for Speaker, says House Republicans need fresh face to unite
  • Date: 8th October 2015
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 8, 2015) (REUTERS) MCCARTHY STANDING BEHIND MICROPHONE STAND (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE KEVIN MCCARTHY, THE HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER AND A REPUBLICAN OF CALIFORNIA, SAYING: "If we are going to unite and be strong, we need a new face to help do that, nothing more than that. I feel good about the decision. I feel great to ha
  • Embargoed: 23rd October 2015 13:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8XRMDT4I00M6LXXMS4HS2D5D8
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Republicans in Congress were plunged into turmoil on Thursday (October 8) when California Representative Kevin McCarthy, considered the favorite to succeed House Speaker John Boehner, surprisingly dropped out of the race, throwing the party's ability to govern into question.
    "If we are going to unite and be strong we need a new face to help do that," McCarthy said.
    McCarthy, the Number 2 Republican in the House, had competition from more conservative lawmakers who felt marginalized under Boehner's leadership. The election for Speaker was postponed until further notice.
    "I don't want to make voting for Speaker a tough one. I don't want to go to the floor and win with 220 votes. I think the best thing for our party right now is to have 247 votes on the floor. If we are going to be strong, we have to be 100 percent united and, I think, you know what: let's put the conference first," McCarthy said.
    It was expected that House Speaker John Boehner will stay on the job until the leadership question is settled. Boehner had been scheduled to retire on October 30.
    U.S. Representative Jason Chaffetz, the chairman of the House committee investigating the events surrounding the attack on the American consulate at Benghazi, was positioning himself as a candidate who might appeal to centrist Republicans and the more conservative wing of the party led by the Tea Party Caucus.
    "I said that I would support the nominee on the floor, but we don't yet have a nominee, so the fact that it's delayed, I will continue to campaign," Chaffetz said.
    Republican Daniel Webster of Florida, who enjoys the support of several dozen members of the Tea Party in the House, said McCarthy's departure might open the race to new candidates to emerge.
    Asked if he thought he was the favorite Webster said: "No, I don't because I think there are other factors here that will determine how things will play out," Webster said. He was then asked if he likes being the underdog to which Webster responded saying: "No, I like to be the favorite person."
    The upheaval comes weeks before the United States is due to reach the limits of its borrowing authority. Congress faces a difficult vote to raise the debt limit to avoid a possible default, and lawmakers are also struggling to reach a deal with President Barack Obama on spending levels before government funding runs out on December 11.
    McCarthy's ability to effectively communicate Republican initiatives was called into question last week when he made a comment regarding the creation of the House committee investigating the Benghazi attack and seemed to suggest the committee existed for the purpose of discrediting Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state.
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