shocker

Kevin McCarthy Bails on House Speaker Post

Some supporters began to cry.

Kevin McCarthy, the presumptive next Speaker of the House, stunned the political world Thursday afternoon when he announced that he will not pursue the post that is soon to be vacated by John Boehner. Instead, he will remain as the House Majority Leader. According to Daily Beast reporters Betsy Woodruff and Tim Mak, McCarthy stood before his Republican colleagues in a closed-door meeting and proclaimed that he’s not “the one to unify the party.” Some supporters began to cry. The election procedure will be postponed as the GOP scrambles to figure out its next steps. He had two challengers, Reps. Jason Chaffetz of Utah and Daniel Webster of Florida.

UPDATE -- 1:10 p.m. ET: McCarthy briefly spoke to the press, at one point suggesting his controversial remarks about Hillary Clinton and the Benghazi investigative committee were “unhelpful.” Video below, via CNN.