For the better part of a decade, Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy of California held a plum position in the Republican House caucus. A key member of the party’s leadership as its majority swelled during the Tea Party and Trump years, McCarthy was next in line for the Speakership following Paul Ryan’s 2018 announcement that he would not seek re-election. Then the 2018 Democratic wave crested, the Republicans were hurled back into the minority and the Speaker’s gavel remained out of reach.

(SOURCE) https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/24/opinions/kevin-mccarthy-newt-gingrich-hemmer/index.html