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Kevin McCarthy

Former U.S. Representative and 55th Speaker of the House (R-CA) who was removed from the speakership on October 3, 2023, a vote in which Nancy Mace was one of eight Republicans to support removal.

Photograph of Kevin McCarthy
Credit: windermeresun.com. Source

Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965, in Bakersfield, California) served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California from 2007 to 2023, representing the 22nd, 23rd, and 20th congressional districts in succession. He rose through the House Republican leadership as Majority Whip (2011-2014), Majority Leader (2014-2019), and Minority Leader (2019-2023). McCarthy was elected Speaker of the House on January 7, 2023, after a protracted 15-ballot contest, one of the longest speakership elections in American history. He holds a B.S. in Marketing and an M.B.A. from California State University, Bakersfield.

On October 3, 2023, the House voted 216-210 to remove McCarthy as Speaker, the first removal of a sitting Speaker by a motion to vacate in U.S. history. McCarthy announced he would resign from Congress entirely, effective December 31, 2023. Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC) was designated Speaker pro tempore; Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA) was subsequently elected Speaker on October 25, 2023.

Connection to the Nancy Mace record

Nancy Mace (R-SC-1) was one of eight House Republicans who voted in favor of the motion to vacate on October 3, 2023. The other seven were Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Ken Buck (R-CO), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Bob Good (R-VA), and Matt Rosendale (R-MT). All 208 Democrats present voted with them; the final tally was 216 in favor of removal and 210 opposed.

Mace publicly defended her vote, telling Fox News anchor Bret Baier: "This is about someone that we can trust, someone who will keep their word." She told reporters she had "promised the Lowcountry I would be an independent voice in Congress" and said McCarthy had not delivered on commitments related to issues "we care about and were promised." She added: "Today I'm voting against 95 percent of my party in the hopes of fixing how Congress operates." (Post and Courier, October 4, 2023; Live 5 News, October 4, 2023.)

Following his ouster, McCarthy announced he would direct his fundraising network, the Congressional Leadership Fund super PAC, to support primary challengers against the eight Republicans who voted to remove him, a posture reported by multiple outlets in late 2023.

Sources

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