House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has pulled out of the race for House Speaker, throwing further doubt on congressional leadership ahead of crucial budget negotiations, NBC News confirmed Thursday.
House Republicans said that the party's leadership election would be pushed to a later date, which has not yet been determined. The California Republican had been considered the frontrunner to replace Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) after he surprisingly announced he would leave at the end of October.
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"If we are going to unite and be strong we need a new face to help do that," McCarthy said in a press conference Thursday. "I feel good about the decision."
The House Speaker will hold a crucial role in negotiations to fund the government later this year, as a recently passed stopgap spending measure expires in December. Some lawmakers have threatened a government shutdown over federal funding of Planned Parenthood.
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At a party meeting, McCarthy told Republicans "I am not the one at this time," expressing doubt that he could garner the 218 votes needed to win the position. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said he did not believe any current candidate for the position could have won majority votes in the full House chamber.
Some within the party have floated South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz and West Virginia Rep. Daniel Webster as possible successors to Boehner.
In a statement, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan stressed that he would not pursue the position. Ryan said he was "disappointed in the decision," calling McCarthy "the best person to the lead the House."
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Presidential candidate Donald Trump chimed in on House leadership on Twitter, saying "we need a really smart and really tough person to take over this very important job."