House GOP’s historic 2023 speaker ouster kicked off a year of chaos

On Oct. 3, 2023, the House of Representatives voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker. The vote—initiated by a Republican and occurring under a Republican majority—marked the embarrassing fall of a figure who was once touted as one of the party’s promising “Young Guns.”

McCarthy’s shot at leading the House came after a disappointing 2022 election cycle for the GOP, despite securing a narrow majority. Before the election, many expected a “red wave” of votes for Republicans, but after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the constitutional right to abortion in June 2022, the wave became a trickle.

It took 15 rounds of votes in the House for McCarthy to secure the votes necessary for him to become speaker. In each round, Democrats held firm in support of their chosen leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

The process to remove McCarthy was initiated by Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican who is best known for his alleged involvement in sex parties and affiliation with a onetime associate convicted of sex trafficking. Gaetz’s motion to vacate the speakership succeeded with a vote of 216-210.

Gaetz was upset that under McCarthy, the House had passed a resolution funding the federal government that was ultimately signed by President Joe Biden. The bill had bipartisan support, with a majority of Republicans and Democrats backing it, but it was opposed by the party’s more conservative factions.

Then came chaos.