On Day Of Election, McCarthy Drops Out Of Speaker Race

05:33

October 08, 2015

U.S. House Majority Leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), speaks following the weekly House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., October 7, 2015. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

In yet another surprise turn of events, Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader and frontrunner in the race for speaker of the House of Representatives, withdrew from the race just as the meeting to select a new speaker opened. The election has been postponed to an undetermined time.

According to Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., McCarthy stood up and removed himself from the race after the Pledge of Allegiance was said. McCarthy stated that he didn’t want members of the House to face repercussions for voting for him. Speaker of the House John Boehner immediately moved to adjourn the meeting.

Rooney said the room was in a state of shock and some members were heard crying.

NPR’s lead political editor Domenico Montanaro joins Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson to talk about possible reasons for McCarthy’s withdrawal and discuss what’s next for the House of Representatives.

Guest

Domenico Montanaro, lead political editor at NPR. He tweets @DomenicoNPR.

This segment aired on October 8, 2015.