LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out of the job Tuesday in an extraordinary showdown — a first in U.S. history, forced by a contingent of hard-right conservatives and throwing the House and its Republican leadership into chaos.

McCarthy's chief rival, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, orchestrated the rare vote on the obscure "motion to vacate," and pushed ahead swiftly into a dramatic afternoon roll call.

It was a stunning moment for McCarthy, a punishment fueled by growing grievances but sparked by his weekend decision to work with Democrats to keep the federal government open rather than risk a shutdown. Neither the right-flank Republicans who engineered his ouster nor the Democrats who piled on seem open to negotiating.

Removing the speaker launches the House Republicans into chaos heading into a busy fall when Congress will need to fund the government again or risk a mid-November shutdown.

Typically, top leaders would be next in line for the job, but Majority Leader Steve Scalise is battling cancer and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, like any potential candidate, may have trouble securing the vote. Another leading Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, is also a Trump ally.

Here's how everyone in the Kentucky and Indiana delegations voted Tuesday, a Y indicating a vote to remove McCarthy as a speaker and an N a vote for him to remain. And below are statements Wednesday from every member of the delegations who publicly commented on Tuesday's vote:

  • Kentucky:
    • Andy Barr: N
    • James Comer: N
    • Brett Guthrie: N
    • Thomas Massie: N
    • Morgan McGarvey: Y
    • Hal Rogers: N
  • Indiana:
    • Jim Baird: N
    • Jim Banks: N
    • Larry Bucshon: N
    • Andre Carson: Y
    • Erin Houchin: N
    • Frank J. Mrvan: Y
    • Greg Pence: N
    • Victoria Spartz: N
    • Rudy Yakym: N

In a prepared statement he gave on the Senate floor Wednesday morning, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., thanked McCarthy, calling him someone he could trust. He likened Congressional leadership to "like being the groundskeeper at a cemetery. Everybody's under you, but no one's listening."

Despite his vote to remove McCarthy, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., calls the move by "Matt Gaetz and the extremist Republicans" unprecedented. He added, however, that McCarthy "created this problem by empowering the extremists in his conference, making promises he did not intend to keep, and changing the rules to allow any member of the majority to remove the speaker."

U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., opted not to take a hard stance on Tuesday's fireworks in a written statement from his office:

"As chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Congressman Comer remains focused on continuing his work to hold President Biden and this administration accountable. He looks forward to working with the House Republican Conference to select a Speaker."

U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., called the vote a "monumental mistake," praising McCarthy for his courage and leadership to work with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. 

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Who called the motion to vacate the speaker a "terrible idea," already has his favorite candidate.

U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., called Tuesday's vote an "extremely frustrating result," the result of a small number of Republicans "focused on settling personal vendettas and prioritizing their own personal political ambitions rather than prioritizing conservative governance.

U.S. Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., threw his support behind McCarthy, saying Tuesday's vote "disrupts our ability to govern."

"Yesterday afternoon, I voted to support Kevin McCarthy," Pence said in a written statement. "Ousting Speaker McCarthy and electing a new speaker is a waste of time when we have an upcoming deadline to pass appropriations bills. It disrupts our ability to govern and will only delay our efforts to pass conservative policies that will help Hoosiers and all Americans. Moving forward, I am hopeful that we will focus on lowering inflation, securing our southern border, regaining American energy dominance, and fighting back against the Biden Administration's woke policies."

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