Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy leaving Congress at end of year: 'Leaving the House but not the fight'

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will leave Congress at the end of this year, he announced on Wednesday.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, McCarthy made his position known after months of speculation about what his future would hold.

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“It is in this spirit that I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways. I know my work is only getting started,” McCarthy wrote in the op-ed.

The announcement of his imminent departure comes after McCarthy was ousted as speaker in early October after eight Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), voted with all Democrats to remove him from the position.

From then on, speculation ran rampant about what McCarthy's future would entail. Early on after the ouster, McCarthy was adamant that he would not resign and that he would run for reelection, but in recent weeks, he became more vague about his future, leading to more speculation.

The California Republican was first elected to office in 2007 and has served in numerous leadership positions since then. He became House majority whip in 2010, then became majority leader in 2014. He had an unsuccessful bid for speaker in 2015 and remained majority leader.

In January, he ran for speaker again, and after 15 ballots, he won the gavel, though he only served in the role for 10 months before his ouster.

In the op-ed, McCarthy confirmed that he would still be involved in politics even if he's not serving in Congress, saying he will "continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office" and that he is "committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders."

His departure will leave House Republicans with just a three-seat margin after the expulsion of former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), and in an already fractured Republican Conference, it will make it that much harder to pass legislation.

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According to California election laws, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) must call a special election to fill the deep-red Bakersfield seat. And, with McCarthy serving the district for nearly 15 years, there are plenty of ambitious Republicans looking to fill the seat.

"While I'll be departing the House at the end of this year, I will never ever give up fighting for this country that I love so much," McCarthy said in a retirement video posted on social media.