Kevin McCarthy’s political earthquake: He may actually quit his job in Congress | Opinion

“An aggrieved McCarthy weighs leaving the House ...”

So began a headline for a CNN exclusive that posted online over the weekend about how former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is considering not seeking re-election to Congress, the place he has made his own since 2007.

For San Joaquin Valley residents, having McCarthy in Congress has been as automatic as the oil pumps bobbing up and down in his hometown of Bakersfield.

Such a possibility would be a political earthquake in the Valley, if not across the nation, given McCarthy’s prodigious ability to fund-raise for the Republican party.

But with the upheaval McCarthy has experienced this year, who could really blame him?

To recap, he came into the year buoyed by the prospect of becoming the next speaker of the House, one of the top jobs in American politics. The House speaker is second in the line of succession should something happen to the president, behind only the vice president.

Following the 2022 election, the GOP recaptured control of the House. But then it took McCarthy four days and 15 votes to overcome opposition from fellow far-right conservatives.

Those same hard-right members then got furious with McCarthy over deals he made with Democrats to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and extend the government’s budget. The anger came to a head on Oct. 3 when a group of far-right conservatives, part of the so-called Freedom Caucus, succeeded in passing a “motion to vacate” the speaker’s office. McCarthy was out of his job, the one he had long sought.

Fast forward to the interview with CNN’s Manu Raju. When asked if he would remain in Congress or find new work, McCarthy simply said “I don’t know.”

He told Raju he would talk it over with his family over the holidays, which must mean the Thanksgiving break. Due to California’s early primary next March, candidates must file nomination papers between Nov. 13 and Dec. 8. Typically, when incumbents don’t seek re-election, the nominating period is extended by several days.

McCarthy told Raju there are other ways to make a difference besides political service. “Well, there’s so many ways you can do that to make sure you’re getting the job done. And I’m going to look at all options.”

McCarthy called on to resign

Five opponents have registered with the Federal Elections Commission to run against McCarthy. Two of them are Democrats, two are Republicans and one is independent.

One of the Republicans, David Giglio of Madera Ranchos, issued a call Monday for McCarthy to step down.

“With rumors circulating that Kevin McCarthy is considering leaving Congress at the end of his term, I am officially calling on the former speaker to step aside immediately,” Giglio said.

How Giglio thinks “rumors” logically leads to an actual resignation is dubious. Plus McCarthy has $10 million cash on hand for his campaign; the top challenger, Democrat Johnathon Burrows, has just under $100,000. McCarthy can rule the television ad time, if he wants.

But Giglio’s call does point to a complicated process, should McCarthy actually quit his job.

If McCarthy stepped down, a special election would be called by Gov. Newsom, and the winner of that race would serve out the term through next year. A normal round of elections — the primary in March, the general in November — would also be held for the permanent seat. So voters in the 20th District would vote twice for representation, much as voters did when Devin Nunes resigned on Jan. 3 in 2022.

The 20th District runs from Bakersfield north to Clovis, with parts of Tulare and Kings counties included.

Serve with honor

It is notable that McCarthy told CNN he remains a big supporter of former President Donald Trump, even if he has yet to formally endorse him. The irony is that the far-right House Republicans who engineered McCarthy’s downfall as speaker are also Trump sycophants.

It may be too much for a former House speaker to accept returning to the life of a regular representative. Certainly the needs of the 20th District are many; for one thing, it has some of the nation’s poorest people in its midst. McCarthy’s driving force should be making a difference for his neighbors. His district will soon learn if that challenge can motivate him anew.