On October 8, 2015, the Republican party was thrown into disarray after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy suddenly withdrew his bid for the Speaker of the House position. McCarthy had been the leading candidate for the job, but his withdrawal left the party without a clear successor. In the wake of McCarthy’s withdrawal, there was much speculation as to why he decided to drop out and what would happen next.
Many speculated that McCarthy was unable to win over the Freedom Caucus, a bloc of conservative House members who had been vocal in their opposition to his candidacy. With McCarthy’s withdrawal, the Republican party is left without a clear leader in the House, and it is unclear who will step up to fill the void.