Republican Kevin McCarthy, who won and lost the role of speaker of the US House of Representatives during a tumultuous nine months this year, said on Wednesday he will leave Congress, ending a 17-year career in Congress, Reuters reported.

Kevin McCarthyPhoto: Michael Brochstein / Zuma Press / Profimedia Images

“I have decided to leave the House of Representatives at the end of this year to serve America in a new way,” McCarthy, 58, wrote in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.

“It often seems that the more Washington does, the worse it is for America,” said McCarthy, who was ousted as House speaker by hard-line Republicans in early October.

“The problems we face are more likely to be solved through innovation than through legislation,” he added.

The departure of the party’s former leader, a skilled campaign fundraiser who helped Republicans take control of the House in 2022, could hamper the party’s hopes of retaining its majority next year.

Although he represents a safe Republican district in California, his departure would further reduce the Republicans’ already slim majority (221-213) early next year as Congress tries to avoid a partial government shutdown in mid-January.

Under California law, a special election must be held within 126 to 140 days of being appointed by the state’s governor.

McCarthy promised to continue recruiting candidates for elected office.

“The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I intend to use my experience to support the next generation of leaders,” he said.

McCarthy announced his plans a week after the House of Representatives expelled impeached Republican George Santos from Congress.

On Tuesday, another top House Republican, Patrick McHenry, who led the chamber in the chaotic weeks after McCarthy’s ouster, said he would not seek re-election.

McCarthy, who first entered Congress in 2007, spent the following years climbing the ranks of the party leadership in the House of Representatives before embarking on a brief but wild tenure as the GOP leader in Congress.

He was part of a rising generation of Republicans known as the “young guns,” which included former Speaker Paul Ryan.