McCarthy withdraws candidacy for House speaker; election postponed

In this Sept. 30, 2015 file photo, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., left, walks  on Capitol Hill in Washington.
In this Sept. 30, 2015 file photo, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., left, walks on Capitol Hill in Washington.

WASHINGTON — Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday withdrew his candidacy for speaker of the U.S. House.

GOP lawmakers said McCarthy told colleagues at the start of a closed meeting that he was not the right person for the job. He recommended that the election be postponed, and Speaker John Boehner delayed it.

McCarthy had been heavily favored to be nominated by his fellow Republicans.

As the day began, McCarthy and his two rivals to replace outgoing Speaker John Boehner were to address the meeting of the GOP rank and file in the basement of the Capitol, making final pitches ahead of elections to begin at noon.

Despite his lead over other candidates, McCarthy had failed to win over a small but crucial bloc in the House GOP: the hard-line Freedom Caucus. This group of 30-plus uncompromising conservatives drove Boehner to resign by threatening a floor vote on his speakership. On the eve of Thursday's vote, they said they would oppose Boehner's No.2, McCarthy, and back one of his rivals instead, Rep. Daniel Webster of Florida, a former speaker of the Florida House.

See Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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