Kevin McCarthy Ends Bid to be House Speaker, Vote Postponed

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., ended his bid to replace outgoing U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Thursday as the GOP caucus postponed voting for a new speaker. 

McCarthy had been the favorite over U.S. Reps. Jason Chaffez, R-Utah, and Dan Webster, R-Fla., but made a major gaffe when he said the Select Committee on Benghazi was driven by politics, namely undermining former U.S. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, the favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination. 

Conservatives also had issues with McCarthy and, on Wednesday, the House Freedom Caucus came out for Webster. According to The Hill, McCarthy did not have the 218 votes needed to win the speakership even if a majority of the Republican caucus supported him.