At the beginning of the year, the GOP controlled the House 222-213. With their nine-seat majority, they could afford to lose four votes.
Now, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California has announced his intent to retire by the end of this month, midway through his two-year term. On top of that, New York’s George Santos was expelled from the House earlier this month.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a McCarthy ally, issued a dire warning about the House GOP’s shrinking numbers.
Greene emerged as the most vocal supporter of McCarthy during his time as House speaker. She voted for him to become House speaker even amid the GOP’s infighting.
The Georgia Republican slammed her colleagues for ousting McCarthy from the speakership, and she savaged the Republicans who voted to expel Santos.
“Well.. Now in 2024, we will have a 1 seat majority in the House of Representatives. Congratulations Freedom Caucus for one and 105 Rep who expel our own for the other,” Greene said.
Greene was presumably referring to Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican known for moving to vacate the speakership in October.
“I can assure you Republican voters didn’t give us the majority to crash the ship,” Greene concluded. “Hopefully no one dies.”
Gaetz tweeted a one-word response after his announcement: “McLeavin.”
Take a look —
Well..
Now in 2024, we will have a 1 seat majority in the House of Representatives.
Congratulations Freedom Caucus for one and 105 Rep who expel our own for the other.
I can assure you Republican voters didn’t give us the majority to crash the ship.
Hopefully no one dies.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) December 6, 2023
McLeavin’
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 6, 2023
I didn’t resign.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 6, 2023
McCarthy is from a Republican-leaning area in Central California where oil derricks blanket hillsides and country music fans pack into Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace hall. Far from the Southern California beaches and San Francisco’s restaurants, farming and oil pumping shape the economy.
However, it wasn’t immediately clear how long his seat would remain vacant.
In California, Friday is the last day for candidates to file paperwork to enter the 2024 elections. If the vacancy occurs before the end of that period, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom would be required to call a special election to fill McCarthy’s seat.
If McCarthy steps down after that time, it would be up to the governor to decide whether to call a special election or whether to wait until the regularly scheduled election.
Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio has also announced his intent to retire early next year. With his plan to retire during an election year, his seat is set to stay vacant until the next term.
Following Santos’ expulsion, Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul has scheduled a special election for Feb. 13. The district is rated D+2, and early polls consider it a toss-up.
With Santos’ expulsion and the two vacancies, the House GOP can now afford to lose only two votes, by some counts.
Still, McCarthy has defended his decision to leave.
“No matter the odds, or personal cost, we did the right thing,” McCarthy wrote in The Wall Street Journal, announcing his decision. “It is in this spirit that I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways.”
McCarthy had already stirred speculation. As recently as this month, he was refusing to commit to re-election, even with FEC deadlines approaching.
The son of a firefighter and a homemaker, McCarthy has long depicted himself as a tireless battler. He is fond of quoting his father, who told him, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.