Why post-McCarthy dread and doom is afflicting the GOP's 'Biden 18'

The Republican House members most targeted by Democrats for defeat in 2024 have been thrown into a state of anxiety by the historic removal Tuesday of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

All 18 Republicans who were elected in 2022 to districts won by President Joe Biden in 2020 voted in vain to save McCarthy’s speakership. Known in the Beltway as “the Biden 18,” they are among the Republican lawmakers most jeopardized by the chaos that has engulfed their party — and their political survival will be critical to Republicans retaining the House next congressional session.

They’re also the ultimate outliers in Republican politics: Congressmen serving in tight swing districts – enemy territory no less – who rely upon at least a smidgen of normalcy to retain their seats. The last thing they needed was the spectacle of MAGA extremists, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), placing McCarthy’s head on a pike.

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“I’d love to have him out of the conference,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told reporters about Gaetz on Tuesday, the Washington Post reported. “He shouldn’t be in the Republican Party.”

Bacon won his Omaha district by just 2.7 percent in 2022.

Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), a “Biden 18” member who described himself as “very frustrated” over the vote, worried aloud about the prospect of another shutdown.

“I think they’re going to have a long drawn-out fight and those 45 days that we gave ourselves to finish the appropriations process gets wasted, sadly, with people’s opportunity to just be on TV and fundraise like we’ve already seen they’re doing,” he said.

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Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) tweeted: “I’m disappointed some members just voted to paralyze the House. They’ve put politics and personal grudges over the integrity of the chamber and the good of our country. The border is open, gas prices are rising and government funding runs out in 43 days. We can’t afford to play these games.”

Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), who won by just 1.5 percent in 2022, blasted McCarthy’s removal as “pointless, unproductive and harmful to the agenda we put forth when we were elected.”

And Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), the only “Biden 18” member to vote against keeping the government open a week ago, chimed in: “The decision by eight Republicans to vote with the Democrats to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker was reckless and wrong. Whatever differences might exist among Republicans, the solution should never be to empower the Left.”

In the days before the McCarthy removal vote, Raw Story contacted the congressional offices for each of the "Biden 18". None returned requests for comment.

But other “Biden 18” members weren’t in a mood for moderation in the aftermath of McCarthy’s demise. And perhaps a bit irrationally, they looked across the aisle for a fix to their caucus’ dysfunction.

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) lashed out at centrist Democrats hours after they declined to dispatch a political lifeboat to McCarthy. LaLota told the Wall Street Journal that at least five to 10 Republicans, including himself, might bail from the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus in protest.

“This was supposed to be a time when Problem Solvers were supposed to drop their partisanship and do what’s right for America,” LaLota said. “I’m tremendously disappointed that nobody – no Democrat Problem Solver – stepped up to do so, and I’m reassessing if I’ll remain a member of that caucus.”

A dozen of the “Biden 18” were listed earlier this year among the 31 GOP members of the Problem Solvers caucus. Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) – one of LaLota’s fellow Long Island freshmen who helped Republicans gain their majority less than a year ago – added, “There was little or no effort to actually solve the problem,” the Journal reported.

Bacon also acknowledged the angst caused by the removal of McCarthy.

But he was a bit more philosophical, according to the Journal:

“There's some anger,” Bacon said. “But I've learned -- I've been married 40 years -- let's sleep on things overnight.”

That’s a far cry from the rage on display from the Biden 18 when it came to Gaetz. Here’s a sampling of the not-so-moderate characterizations they offered up about him:

“Matt Gaetz is nothing but a self-absorbed egotist.” – Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY)

“Matt has been a singularly destructive force within the conference. He’s a charlatan.” – LaLota

“I have neither the patience nor tolerance for this pseudo-psycho-political game.” – Molinaro

“(Gaetz is) a Republican running with scissors.” – Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA)

On the other hand, the most infamous member of the “Biden 18” – serial fabulist Rep. George Santos (R-NY) – refrained from attacking Gaetz.

Gaetz — Congress’ ultimate Florida Man — had been one of Santos’ only defenders back in January when Santos was under the microscope for a staggering series of lies.

Santos voted to save McCarthy but had little to say until the story found its way to him in the form of a little gallows humor from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) – recounted in a tweet from Raskin.

“Waiting for the vote and I reminded (Rep.) Jared Moskowitz that there was never so much chaos in the House when George Santos was Speaker. Jared went over to Santos and told him that and Santos said, “That’s why I don’t want to be Speaker again.”

Santos retweeted the exchange.

Still, the best analysis of the Republican House members’ woes came neither from Raskin nor any member of the House. That was left to a GOP senator, immediately after the vote to vacate.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) told NBC News that the American people are thinking, “Are you guys nuts?”

Some would say that’s understated. But even if the McCarthy debacle produces nothing more than reinforcement of Congress’ dysfunction, that can spell trouble for Republicans holding seats in competitive districts.

Gaetz and others on the far right enjoy the comforts of immovably safe seats where loud and destructive behaviors yield handsome returns.

In contrast, the Biden 18 need support from the center of the political spectrum, where voters have less interest in performance art from their elected officials.

And that’s all they got this week.