Kevin McCarthy resignation sets off mad scramble- CalMatters

In summary, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield announces he will leave Congress at the end of the year after fellow Republicans booted him as House speaker. Who might run for his seat? Could one candidate be former Rep. Devin Nunes?

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s announcement today that he will vacate his seat and not seek reelection sets off a tidal wave of speculation on who will represent a wide swath of California’s agricultural heartland. The timing of the announcement also puts McCarthy in a spot to be a political kingmaker if he makes an early endorsement. It’s a role he’s played before and relishes. In announcing his resignation in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, McCarthy reiterated that he will “continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office.” One thing is virtually certain: McCarthy’s replacement will be a Republican. And one of the names on a possible list of GOP stalwarts is a big one — former Rep. Devin Nunes. The sprawling Godzilla-shaped district is a GOP stronghold as ruby-red as any in California. Its voters supported former President Donald Trump and the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom by wide margins.

We also know the process for how McCarthy will be replaced, at least initially. Since he isn’t leaving his seat until after the candidate filing deadline, it’s up to Newsom to decide whether to call a special election in early 2024 to fill the remaining months of McCarthy’s current term, according to the Secretary of State’s office. A spokesperson for the governor’s office said a special election would need to be called within 14 days of a vacancy, but did not answer questions about whether Newsom plans to do so.“We will have more to share once we have specifics from McCarthy about his planned departure,” said Erin Mellon, the spokesperson. In the March primary and November general election, voters in the district will choose their next representative to serve starting in January 2025. The filing deadline for candidates is now Dec. 13, according to the Secretary of State. The counties covered by McCarthy’s 20th Congressional District have recent familiarity with this process when Nunes departed at the end of 2021. Connie Conway was elected in June 2022 to fill out the remaining six months of Nunes’ term and served as a caretaker uninterested in re-election. Here are some of the potential candidates who could mount a campaign to replace McCarthy, and their pluses and minuses: Then-U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 20, 2019. Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS Devin NunesLongtime GOP member of Congress who left his seat in late 2020 to take over as chief executive of Truth Social, Trump’s social media venture

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