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- Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he's leaving Congress.
- McCarthy wrote in a Wall Street Journal column that he will resign at the end of the year.
- His departure will further narrow Republicans' slim House majority.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday said that he will leave Congress at the end of the year.
"I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways," McCarthy wrote in a Wall Street Journal column. "I know my work is only getting started."
His decision to leave before his term ends will further narrow Republicans' slim majority that was already weakened after former Rep. George Santos' expulsion.
In an accompanying video, McCarthy listed off what he felt were some of the accomplishments of his nearly two decades in Washington, including nearly 15 years in House Republican leadership rising from chief deputy whip all the way to becoming the 55th Speaker of the House. He also made clear he is not leaving politics for good, but it remains to be seen what his next chapter will be.
"We won a House majority twice. We elected more Republican women, veterans, and minorities to Congress than ever before," McCarthy said as a series of images played over his voice over.
Ultimately, McCarthy was able to realize his long-held dream of becoming House Speaker. But it came at a great cost. The California Republican was forced to cut side deals that limited his power. McCarthy also had to endure 15 rounds of voting, a slog not seen since before the Civil War. His speakership ended up being the shortest in more than 140 years.
The young guns have fired their last round.
It's why a large part of his legacy will dovetail with the demise of the once hopeful era of conservative renewal he hoped to usher in.
As self-proclaimed "Young Guns," McCarthy, Paul Ryan, and Eric Cantor wanted to lead a new generation for the party. Instead they found chaos as they struggled to lead more Tea Party and insurgent GOP lawmakers and as Donald Trump rose to power.
McCarthy became the latest of the trio to incur conservatives' wrath after he struck a deal with President Joe Biden to narrowly avoid default. Their anger only grew after McCarthy proposed an extension of government funding to avoid a government shut down. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and seven other Republicans later joined House Democrats in booting McCarthy from power.
Ryan, who had the speakership essentially foisted on him, bowed out of politics after clashing with Trump during his first two years in office. Cantor, who was once viewed as a future speaker, was forced out of power as House Majority Leader after a stunning primary defeat in 2014. And now McCarthy will join them.