Some Republicans are actually talking about reinstating McCarthy as speaker — and he's not saying no
- Most Republicans have moved on after Kevin McCarthy's ouster, but not all of them.
- Several Republicans are calling for his reinstatement, with some citing the violence in Israel.
Most House Republicans have moved on from last week's sudden removal of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House.
But not all of them.
A handful of Republicans are arguing not that their colleagues should choose Rep. Jim Jordan or Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the two candidates currently vying for the job, but that they should try to re-instate McCarthy.
"The only workable outcome is to restore Kevin McCarthy," said Rep. Tom McClintock, a California Republican, in a statement last Thursday. McClintock called on the Republicans who ousted McCarthy to "disenthrall themselves from their decision and to repair the damage before it is too late."
For a while, McClintock was the only person making this argument. Then Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization that governs Gaza, launched an unprecedented invasion of Israel on Saturday morning.
"The House should immediately reinstate McCarthy and stop screwing around," Rep. Mike Lawler of New York wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, pointed to the situation in Israel.
Lawler was later joined by Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, who called on McCarthy to "reconsider his decision" to not seek the speakership again.
According to POLITICO, several Republicans lawmakers are discussing the effort amongst one another.
"A short window is all we need in the House to reinstate Kevin McCarthy," Rep. John Duarte of California told POLITICO.
Asked by reporters about the prospect at a press conference on Monday, McCarthy repeatedly said he would leave the decision up to the House GOP conference — not exactly closing the door.
"That's a decision by the conference," said McCarthy.