Shocking Revelation: McCarthy's Downfall Sends Republicans Reeling - A Must-Read!

Editors Note: Geoff Duncan, a CNN contributor, served as Georgia's lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023. He is also a former professional baseball player and the author of "GOP 2.0: How the 2020 Election Can Lead to a Better Way Forward for America's Conservative Party." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. More opinion pieces can be found on CNN.

As the dust settles on the tenure of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, there are important lessons that the Republican Party should take into consideration. While the media has focused on the eight GOP members who ultimately sealed McCarthy's fate, it is important to note that the die had been cast long before due to the actions of certain agitators within the House.

Geoff Duncan

Former President Donald Trump's leadership of the Republican Party has resulted in the current outcome. He is expected to maintain his disruptive role in the ongoing drama. In a recent post on Truth Social, Trump expressed his full endorsement of Rep. Jim Jordan from Ohio, who is vying to replace McCarthy.

The Republican caucus must select a leader who represents a clear departure from the past as they ponder their next moves. It is crucial for our party to appeal to swing and suburban voters by electing a Speaker of the House who is not solely associated with loyalty to Trump. With the possibility of another government shutdown on the horizon, the next speaker should be willing to collaborate with Democrats, even if it means losing support from the far-right Republicans. Failing to effectively govern will only lead to further electoral losses for our party, allowing Democrats to maintain control. This is not the desired outcome for anyone who upholds conservative governing principles.

Below are the ways in which Trump's actions triggered the chain of events that ultimately led to McCarthy's downfall.

First, when McCarthy had the opportunity to undermine the political future of Trump and the MAGA extremists associated with him (such as Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida), he instead chose to support him. Immediately following the events of January 6, 2021, McCarthy publicly stated, "The president should be held accountable for the attack on Congress by the mob," yet just three weeks later, he was seen side by side with the disgraced former president, praising his dedication to assisting Republican candidates in the 2022 House and Senate elections.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) addresses the press regarding an upcoming vote on a motion to vacate at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on October 3, 2023. (Photo by Craig Hudson/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

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The scenario unfolded differently as voters had a distinctive perspective. This brings us to the second point. Rather than seeing a significant surge favoring Republicans, potentially resulting in a gain of 60 seats (as McCarthy indicated in November 2021), the GOP managed to secure a House majority but only made a modest net gain of 10 seats. Moreover, Republicans experienced setbacks in the Senate, despite a Democratic president in office with subpar approval ratings. The reasons behind this outcome are multifaceted; however, it can be attributed, at its core, to a group of candidates who were more inclined towards revisiting conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election rather than presenting a compelling vision for 2022.

Georgia's prominent role in the political turmoil became evident with the defeat of Trump-backed Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in the January 2021 special election. Their losses resulted in Democrats gaining control of the Senate. In 2022, Herschel Walker, a former football star and Republican Senate candidate, faced a similar fate, despite his controversial candidacy being fueled by his connection to the former president. These three ill-fated candidates remained loyal to Trump. Other potentially winnable Republican seats in states like Arizona, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Pennsylvania faced a similar situation. Only J.D. Vance, who represents Ohio in the Senate today, managed to secure his position with over $30 million in external support, even though Trump had won the state handily before. This razor-thin majority in the House left McCarthy with no choice but to make concessions with figures like Gaetz and reduce the threshold for a vote on the motion to vacate to just one representative. After nine months, Gaetz wielded his influence and triggered the motion to vacate, leading to McCarthy's ousting despite having the support of 95% of his caucus.

This brings us to the last point. In January, when McCarthy was struggling through 15 rounds of voting to become the speaker, Trump came to his rescue. Remember when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia seemed to be gathering votes for McCarthy by showing her phone with the former president supposedly on the call?

Now, less than a year later, Trump was nowhere to be seen when McCarthy's position as speaker was uncertain.

Despite some accomplishments during McCarthys speakership, such as finding compromises to prevent a shutdown and financial default and successfully passing bills on crime in Washington, DC and declassifying documents on the origins of Covid-19, both his party and the country continue to fall behind.

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The Republican majority in the House, which was hard-won, is currently experiencing significant turmoil. Additionally, the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination is facing a staggering total of 91 felony charges across four criminal cases (Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to these charges). Furthermore, he is involved in numerous civil lawsuits and has a track record of losing elections. However, despite these challenges, he maintains a substantial lead over the other GOP candidates.

In a post-removal press conference, McCarthy emphasized the importance of doing the right thing, acknowledging its difficulty yet necessity. Ironically, he failed to adhere to his own advice when presented with an opportunity to steer the party away from Trump. Although he was not alone in making this detrimental choice, he suffered the greatest political consequences.

Any aspiring future speaker should heed McCarthy's example as a cautionary tale. Relying on Trump for immediate influence is an error. Instead, the next speaker must prioritize establishing common ground with the opposing side to effectively fulfill the fundamental responsibilities of governing. This entails leaving Trump in the past and moving forward.