POLITICO: …The majority leader’s longtime allies — the people he recruited and helped get elected to Congress — told him they were getting hammered back home, and that it would be difficult to back him on the House floor…
McCarthy went back and forth in his head, and with his staff. Should he stay in the race? Did he even want to? And with a limited mandate – winning the speakership with probably just 220 votes, essentially the bare minimum – could he be an effective speaker? …
In the hours leading up to the party nominating contest, McCarthy concluded the job was not for him. Even if he could win, he’d be unable to move a must-pass debt ceiling increase. He figured he’d have an equally hard time shepherding through a critical spending deal… (more)
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