Does Kevin McCarthy really want his old job back?

WASHINGTON  —  Kevin McCarthy seems to really want his job back.

He wants it so badly, in fact, that on Monday, he outlined a five-point plan to respond to the conflict in Israel.

“President Biden’s number one priority right now is finding out how many Americans have been taken hostage and taken home,” the Bakersfield Republican said.

The House is largely paralyzed until it elects someone to replace McCarthy, who was ousted as speaker just over a week ago. Until it does, the United States will have trouble sending new aid to Israel. McCarthy’s remarks during a 30-minute news conference seemed to be an effort to position himself as the leader of his party, which has yet to pick a nominee to serve as the next speaker.

But why would McCarthy, who was ousted in humiliating fashion just over a week ago, even want his old job back?

Hello, I’m Erin B. Logan, a reporter covering national politics for the L.A. Times. Today, we are going to discuss McCarthy’s leadership and the race to replace him as speaker of the House.

Don’t call it a comeback...

In a historic vote last week, eight Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, voted with Democrats to remove McCarthy from the speaker’s chair.

The small number of Republicans who voted to boot McCarthy indicates that most members of his party still support him, he said Monday.

“You have 96% of the Congress in one place and you’re allowing 4%, with the Democrats playing politics, that are putting doubt inside this body. That is wrong,” he said.

The rebels were able to work with the Democratic minority to oust McCarthy because of a deal the former speaker struck earlier this year. In exchange for their votes, he agreed to restore old rules and make it easier for any single member to remove him.

Since then, many in his party have balked at that rule, demanding the threshold for bringing a motion to remove the speaker be raised. The top candidates for the job — Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana — have not yet said whether they would change the rule if elected.

“Let’s be honest, about our conference,” McCarthy said during the Monday news conference. “Is our conference just going to elect somebody to throw them out in another 35 days?”

McCarthy reportedly told lawmakers not to vote for him during a closed-door House GOP election on Wednesday. But so far, none of his potential replacements seem to have enough votes to take his place.

The road ahead

As of Wednesday morning, it was unclear how the speaker’s race would end. Lawmakers met on Tuesday behind closed doors for a candidate forum. Though neither Scalise nor Jordan has enough votes to lead the party, the Ohio lawmaker seems to have a leg up.

Jordan was last week endorsed by former President Trump. His endorsement though has yet to result in a seismic shift in the race.

Scalise’s ongoing health problems are also a concern for some Republicans. The majority leader is currently being treated for blood cancer. His condition has given at least one colleague pause.

Jordan-supporting Rep. Ralph Norman told reporters on Monday, “I was honest with Scalise, I think his health is an issue. I don’t want somebody who’s going to deteriorate in the job. This is a tough job.”

Jordan has his own problems. As I reported Wednesday, a sexual abuse scandal from his past haunts his campaign for speaker.

House Republicans are scheduled to vote for a speaker nominee behind closed doors on Wednesday morning. A floor vote for speaker could follow soon after.

The latest from the campaign trail

—After nearly two decades of statewide Republican candidates being rejected by California’s left-leaning electorate, former Dodger All-Star Steve Garvey hopes to drag the GOP back toward political relevance, Times writer Seema Mehta reported.

—In a move that could shift the landscape of the 2024 presidential election, lawyer and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Monday that he has quit the Democratic primary and will run for president as a third-party candidate, Times writer Laura J. Nelson reported.

The view from Washington

—President Biden was voluntarily interviewed as part of an independent investigation into his handling of classified documents, the White House said late Monday, the Associated Press reported.

—Its hands largely tied, the Biden administration is weighing options for next steps in working with its longtime ally Israel, but aware that the traditional formulae for restoring calm in the volatile Middle East region no longer apply, Times writer Tracy Wilkinson reported.

—Despite overwhelming bipartisan support in Washington for stopping Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, the failure to approve Ukraine aid was a sizable setback for an administration seeking to lead a Western alliance to protect the young democracy as the fighting grinds on, the Associated Press reported.

The view from California

—Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed two overlapping bills that would have forced large California cities to establish independent redistricting commissions by 2030, citing potential unbudgeted costs, Times writer Julia Wick reported.

—In Nury Martinez’s first interview since a leaked audio that prompted her resignation from City Hall, the former Los Angeles City Council president said that her comments were not intended to be racist, and that the scandal has left her and her family “completely destroyed,” Times writer Dakota Smith reported.

—Newsom on Saturday vetoed a bill highly watched by the South Asian community that would have banned discrimination on the basis of caste — a system of social hierarchy that dictates a person’s standing from the time they’re born, Times writers Jeong Park and Suhauna Hussain reported.

—Newsom vetoed a bill Sunday that would have extended the notice period of impending layoffs that companies are required to give employees and expanded these rules to contract workers, Times writer Jaimie Ding reported.

That’s it, friends! Sign up for our California Politics newsletter to get the best of The Times’ state politics reporting and to follow me on Instagram for the latest updates of my dear fur child, Kacey.