How Kevin McCarthy 'screwed over' Mike Johnson and removed 'the one thing he had to offer'

By the time 2024 arrived, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was gone from Congress. McCarthy was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2006 midterms, but after being ousted as speaker in early October, he clearly wanted to exit Congress. And December 31, 2023 was his last day.

The Nation's John Nichols examines the House's post-McCarthy era in an article published on Jan. 4 — and not in a favorable way. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Nichols emphasizes, has inherited a chaotic GOP caucus that is in an "historically precarious position."

"With the end of his tenure as the representative from California's 20th Congressional District," Nichols explains, "McCarthy — in what appears to be a fit of pique — screwed over the House Republican Caucus that he had led until his unceremonious removal from the speakership last fall. By choosing to quit at the end of 2023, McCarthy took with him the one thing he had to offer his fellow partisans: protection for their rapidly dwindling majority."

Between McCarthy's resignation, former Rep. George Santos' (R-NY) expulsion, and Rep. Bill Johnson's (R-OH) forthcoming departure, Nichols observes, Speaker Johnson is left with a "fractious" majority that is "nail-bitingly narrow."

"It's true that special elections that will be held in coming months could build out the GOP majority a bit," Nichols observes. "But that's not guaranteed; indeed, Santos' seat could very well flip to the Democrats. There's simply no question that the GOP's circumstance in the House has been made worse by McCarthy's decision to put his personal bitterness ahead of party loyalty."