House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is poised to replace Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House. Ryan himself said wants the California politician to take his spot.
“I was encouraged that Scalise this morning said that he thinks after the election that Kevin McCarthy ought to be the person to replace me after the elections,” Ryan said.
“What it shows you is that we have an intact leadership team that supports each other, that’s all heading in the right direction.”
When he announced his retirement, Ryan indicated that he was going to stick around until January. Republicans, however, want him to vacate his post as soon as possible.
“Scuttlebutt is that Paul will have to step down from speakership soon. Members won’t follow a lame duck, he’ll have no leverage to cut deals, and the last thing they need in this environment is 6 months of palace intrigue and everyone stabbing everyone else in the back,” an anonymous source revealed.
So. Ryan is out and McCarthy is rising. His chances of securing the coveted post are even better if Ryan leaves early. If Republicans suffer losses next November, a lot of the seats they’ll lose are people who would have supported McCarthy.
McCarthy isn’t a shoe-in but his chances are good. A more interesting question than who is going to replace Ryan is what is their role going to be? Are Republicans going to hold on to the majority or will Ryan’s successor be downgraded to minority speaker?
“This is a job that does not last forever,” Ryan said this week. “You realize that you hold the office for just a small part of our history, so you better make the most of it. It’s fleeting, and that inspires you to do big things.”
(Source: New York Magazine, New York Post)