California Republicans, angry over McCarthy’s ouster, support new rules for removing speaker

Saying they are “ashamed and embarrassed” by the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, four California GOP lawmakers joined 41 other House Republicans to strongly urge changes in how a speaker is selected and retained.

“The injustice we all witnessed cannot go unaddressed — lest we bear responsibility for the consequences that follow. Our Conference must address fundamental changes to the structure of our majority to ensure success for the American people,” the letter to House Republican colleagues said.

Among those signing were Reps. David Valadao of Hanford, Ken Calvert of Corona, John Duarte of Modesto and Young Kim of Placentia.

Kim and Calvert are backing House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, D-La., for speaker. Rep. Darrell Issa, D-Vista, who has not signed the letter, is supporting House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Other GOP members of the state’s GOP delegation have not publicly revealed who they are backing. House Republicans are expected to vote Wednesday.

McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, became the first speaker in history Tuesday to lose his job because of a vote by his colleagues. It was set in motion by a newly adopted rule allowing one lawmaker to demand such a vote, known as a “motion to vacate.”

In January, McCarthy agreed to the one-member rule as a way of placating far-right lawmakers, many of whom had long questioned his support for their causes.

In their letter, the 45 Republicans noted that McCarthy lost his speakership with less than 4% of the Republican caucus. Eight Republicans joined 208 Democrats to topple the Bakersfield Republican. All 11 California Republican House members voted to retain McCarthy.

“We cannot allow our majority to be dictated to by the alliance between the chaos caucus and the minority party that will do nothing more than guarantee the failure of our next Speaker,” the letter said.

The letter was signed mostly by center-right Republicans, though it included two committee chairmen. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas.

The letter urging changes in the rules could be crucial as Republicans struggle to choose a successor. The party’s caucus plans to hold a candidate forum Tuesday and a party vote Wednesday. If a candidate is chosen, it would then go to the full House.

There’s no timetable, and no one appears close at this point to winning the 218 votes needed to become speaker..

The 45 letter signers want that next speaker to have more job security.

McClintock did not sign

Rep. Tom McClintock of Elk Grove, a vocal McCarthy backer, did not sign.

He issued a statement saying “The decisions that run the House, especially the election of the Speaker, belong to the majority. When the majority fails to vote as a majority, it ceases to be one.”

“On Tuesday, eight Republicans stole that decision from the Republican conference and stole the House majority from the voters who elected it.”

The 45-member alliance did not specifically say what rules change they’d seek, but insisted “We cannot allow our majority to be dictated to by the alliance between the chaos caucus and the minority party that will do nothing more than guarantee the failure of our next Speaker.”

Until 2019, a single member could call for a “motion to vacate,” or oust the speaker. Democrats changed the rule that year so that it would take a majority of one of the parties to agree to proceed.

So far, Scalise and Jordan have not said whether they would back rules changes.

Others are considering the race; no one from the 11-member California House delegation has publicly expressed interest.

Gillian Brassil of McClatchy’s Washington bureau contributed