Immediately after leaving the speakership Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California held a closed-door meeting and promised not to run for House speaker again, multiple outlets reported on Oct. 3.
Less than a week later, McCarthy seems to have broken that promise.
On Monday, McCarthy made several remarks in which he explicitly refused to rule out another run for the speakership.
“I’ll allow the conference to make whatever decision,” McCarthy reportedly told the press Monday.
McCarthy voiced this sentiment multiple times. “Whatever the conference wants, I will do,” McCarthy told radio host Hugh Hewitt that day, according to Forbes.
Two representatives have announced bids to become House speaker. Steve Scalise of Louisiana released a statement, and so did Jim Jordan of Ohio.
Speaking to reporters, McCarthy declined to endorse either of them. McCarthy also said Monday at the Capitol, “Whether I’m speaker or not … I can lead in any position I’m in.”
Plus, some Republicans seem open to installing McCarthy. “Most of us in the conference want to move forward with a new speaker – or the old speaker,” Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif., told Axios on Monday. “I love Kevin. I thought he did an excellent job.”
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., wants McCarthy back, too. “He’s the best person for the job,” Fitzpatrick told the Wall Street Journal Monday.
In private, some lawmakers are sounding more forceful. Many of them are explicitly pushing for McCarthy.
For example, the Republican Main Street caucus maintains a 70-member group chat. The members of the chat were “[d]emanding we re-instate Kevin,” one GOP lawmaker told Axios.
In other words, McCarthy seems to have pumped the breaks on his downfall. Less than a week before these remarks, McCarthy needed to deny reports about quitting Congress altogether. Now, as of Monday, he’s headed for a turnaround.
However, some holdouts are explicitly refusing to vote for McCarthy again.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told the Journal that he wouldn’t vote for McCarthy. Earlier this month, Burchett was one of the eight Republicans who voted with every Democrat to oust McCarthy.
“There’s quite a few members in there that said they’re not ready to move forward to elect a speaker,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told the Wall Street Journal. Greene hasn’t picked a candidate for the speakership, but she became known earlier this year as a staunch ally of McCarthy.
Meanwhile, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., is serving as speaker pro tempore, and he brushed back questions late Monday about staying in the job longer. Asked about a House vote Wednesday on a new speaker, he said, “That’s my goal.”
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contribtued to this article.