Matt Gaetz uses GOP House primaries to up his battle with Kevin McCarthy

26 December 2023

In a December 7 op-ed, MSNBC's Hayes Brown remarked that "the House of Representatives won't have Kevin Owen McCarthy to kick around anymore" — as the former House speaker has resigned from Congress and won't be serving out the rest of his term.

Brown's "kick around" comment was an obvious play on Richard Nixon's famous line from a November 6, 1962 press conference he held after losing California's gubernatorial race to Democratic incumbent Gov. Pat Brown — a defeat that came only two years after Nixon's narrow loss to John F. Kennedy in 1960's presidential election. Nixon told reporters, "You don't have Nixon to kick around anymore, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference."

But Nixon was incredibly resilient, winning the presidency in 1968 and enjoying a landslide reelection victory over liberal Democratic nominee George McGovern in 1972. And similarly, it remains to be seen what will happen with McCarthy politically after he leaves Congress at the end of 2023.

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In an article published by Politico on December 26, reporters Madison Fernandez and Gary Fineout stress that McCarthy's adversary, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) has found a way to keep his rivalry with McCarthy going in 2024: endorsing rival GOP candidates in U.S. House primaries where the former speaker has already endorsed someone. McCarthy, in early October, was ousted as speaker after Gaetz triggered a "motion to vacate."

"Gaetz, a prominent figure of the most conservative wing of the GOP, endorsed J.R. Majewski — who lost his bid last year after a report he misrepresented his combat duty — in the high-stakes race for Ohio's 9th District House seat," the Politico reporters explain. "Gaetz has also voiced support for former Nevada State Sen. Elizabeth Helgelien, who's running to the right in Nevada's 3rd District, and for Darren Bailey, an unsuccessful 2022 Illinois gubernatorial candidate who is now challenging Republican Rep. Mike Bost in IL-12."

Fernandez and Fineout continue, "The common theme among these candidates who have caught Gaetz's attention: They're all ultra-conservatives who are running in primaries against candidates backed by McCarthy."

Gaetz denies that his endorsements in those House races are a way to spite McCarthy, telling Politico, "He's old news. Mike Johnson's speaker now."

But Fernandez and Fineout report, "Gaetz has long clashed with McCarthy, refusing to vote for him during the marathon speakership vote in January. Gaetz then led the charge in ejecting McCarthy from his leadership post earlier this year, throwing the House into chaos for nearly a month and drawing the ire of fellow members of his party.… Now, with McCarthy retiring — just months after being removed — Gaetz is going after some of his chosen candidates."

Read Politico's full report at this link.

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