(OurNationNews.com) Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is on what’s been dubbed a “revenge tour” to unseat conservatives he believes betrayed him or the party’s principles.
McCarthy’s project has spent more than $4 million to challenge primary candidates such as Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), while cooperating with ethics complaints against Mace and colleague Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
McCarthy was ousted from his House Speakership in October, 2023, after an effort led by Gaetz.
McCarthy believes he’s scored a notch against Virginia Republican Bob Good, though a recount is still taking place in that race. His ally, Brian Walsh, reminded that “we said there would be consequences,” and that his team is “persistent and patient.”
Arizona’s Eli Crane says he isn’t surprised by the battle he’s facing from McCarthy’s well-funded effort. He said the tactic “doesn’t exactly play well” in Republican primaries, but he acknowledges that it may work, if not today, then tomorrow. Referring to “the swamp” in D.C., Crane said he wouldn’t be surprised if it “gets me one day.” But he entered politics to “shake things up,” Crane added.
Sarah Chamberlain, President of Republican Main Street Partnership, said Kevin McCarthy raised the money and he can “do with it what he likes.” No other House Speaker has been ejected “in a way that probably wasn’t very fair to him,” Chamberlain said, and it’s up to McCarthy to choose how he responds to that.
Republican sentiment on McCarthy’s actions is not unanimous. McCarthy was unsuccessful in running Nancy Mace out of her primary last month, and some conservatives are asking if the infighting is just a distracting waste of time.
California Republican Rep. Mike Garcia said the effort seemed to be “emotion-based and therapy-based” rather than grounded in facts. He called McCarthy’s efforts a “losing cause” that he should not waste his time and money on.
In addition, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who replaced McCarthy, has called on Republicans to stop fighting each other and to unite against the Democrats.
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