'Bitter' Kevin McCarthy’s 'revenge tour' targets GOP foes — with 'mixed results'

Nine months have passed since former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) was ousted as House speaker following a "motion to vacate" triggered by far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida). Most House Republicans voted to keep him as speaker, but those who joined Gaetz in voting to oust him ranged from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) to Rep. Bob Good (R-Virginia).

According to the New York Times' Annie Karni, McCarthy has been targeting his GOP adversaries for "revenge" — but doing so with "mixed results."

"In the months that followed," Karni reports, "he helped direct more than $6 million into the race to defeat Mr. Good, who is now fighting to hang on to his seat after coming up 375 votes short in his recent primary against a Trump-backed challenger, John J. McGuire…. Mr. McCarthy spent more than $4 million in an unsuccessful bid to defeat Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina in her primary last month, and his allies are now promoting ethics allegations against her in hopes of making her unelectable in the future."

READ MORE: Kevin McCarthy transformed into a punchline on Capitol Hill — again

Meanwhile, according to Karni, McCarthy ally Brian O. Walsh "released a television ad attacking Mr. Gaetz ahead of his August primary against a little-known challenger, Aaron Dimmock, a retired Navy officer and aviator."

Karni notes, "The ad focuses on Mr. Gaetz's close friendship with Joel Greenberg, the Florida tax collector who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for trafficking a 17-year-old girl and an array of other crimes."

"McCarthy's former aides and friends have gently encouraged him to stop sounding so bitter and preoccupied with Mr. Gaetz," Karni reports. "But Mr. McCarthy is committed to the bit, telling people he wants to define Mr. Gaetz in public and prevent him from ever becoming electable statewide, even if it will be almost impossible to beat him in a congressional primary…. What has animated (McCarthy) most is the prospect of accountability for those he believes acted wrongly toward him."

Karni adds, "The mixed results of Mr. McCarthy's revenge tour so far demonstrate how hard it is to unseat incumbents who have made moves to appeal to the party's hard-right base."

READ MORE: How Kevin McCarthy is 'escalating his revenge campaign' against Matt Gaetz

Read Annie Karni's full New York Times article at this ink (subscription required).