Dem
51
GOP
49
This is a surprise. Not a big surprise, we suppose, but a little one. Patrick McHenry, who was elected to the House at the tender age of 29, and who seemed to be a fellow on the rise, announced yesterday that he will retire at the end of this, his 10th term.
What caused him to go from speaker pro tempore to short-timer in the span of just 6 weeks? Well, he really does seem like a person of clear convictions, and so we are inclined to believe reports that he's disgusted by the infighting in the House Republican Conference. In addition, the faction that McHenry is allied with is no longer ascendant, so his path to greater power may be cut off for a while. That's especially true if Republicans lose control of the House.
McHenry was and is a close ally of deposed speaker Kevin McCarthy. Certainly the retirement of the former has to be interpreted as additional evidence that the retirement of the latter is likely close at hand. McHenry has promised to finish serving out his term; McCarthy might not do the same. The open seat that will be created by McHenry's departure, in NC-10, is R+22. So, it's not at risk of changing hands in 2024. (Z)