House Republican infighting is spilling into public view days before the high-stakes midterm elections, with lawmakers accusing former Speaker Kevin McCarthy of undermining their campaign as a potential leadership fight takes shape.
“Kevin is rooting for us to fail every day. And it shows. I mean, people hate that. They’re not just ambivalent,” one lawmaker told Sources Say’s Juliegrace Brufke.
Republicans were less than thrilled after McCarthy shredded their election messaging during a Bloomberg TV appearance from Singapore, according to the report. He criticized their legislative schedule and said he couldn’t name three things they would deliver if they kept the House.
“It’s not that the Democrats are going to win this election. Republicans are going to lose it,” McCarthy said.
The Republican infighting also threatens to complicate Rep. Jim Jordan’s ambitions. McCarthy is reportedly advising the Ohio Republican ahead of a possible minority leader bid if Republicans lose the House in next Tuesday's election.
But some in the party still see McCarthy “as a potential liability” for Jordan’s likely bid, Brufke reported Friday.
“If I was Jim Jordan and I wanted to lead the Republican conference I wouldn’t pick up the Kevin McCarthy playbook,” former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) told the outlet.
A former senior GOP aide accused McCarthy of seeking another route to influence.
“I think he sees this race as his last opportunity to position himself as the power behind a Jordan-led leadership operation,” the aide said.
McCarthy’s spokesperson told Sources Says that he regularly speaks with former colleagues “to help the Conference and protect the majority they worked so hard to earn.”