McCarthy says won’t run again for House speaker

Kevin McCarthy announced at a news conference that he will not seek re-election as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after being ousted from the position in a historic vote due to Republican infighting. The 216-210 vote marked the first time in U.S. history that a House speaker was removed from office mid-term. Eight Republicans joined Democrats in voting against McCarthy. The House is expected to be without a leader for at least a week, with discussions on potential successors scheduled for October 10 and a vote for a new speaker on October 11. The removal stemmed from divisions over funding legislation and McCarthy’s reliance on Democratic support. The House recently passed a stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown, though it differed from McCarthy’s original proposal, causing some internal dissent among Republicans. There is currently no consensus on McCarthy’s successor.

Source – CGTN