Chuck Darwin<p>Former speaker McCarthy has spent much of his time, energy and money since leaving Congress in a bid to defeat the Republicans who cost him his gavel — and his political career</p><p>During the awkward interludeafter he was ousted from the speakership but before he resigned from Congress, <a href="https://c.im/tags/Kevin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Kevin</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/McCarthy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>McCarthy</span></a> found himself standing on the House floor one afternoon next to Representative <a href="https://c.im/tags/Bob" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Bob</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Good" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Good</span></a> of Virginia, ◻️one of the eight Republicans who had voted to remove him from power.◻️</p><p>🔶“I just traveled to your district,” Mr. McCarthy, still raw over his political downfall, said in what was interpreted as a vaguely threatening tone. “It’s a really nice district.”</p><p>🔷“Why don’t you come down and spend money there?” Mr. Good, the chairman of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, taunted Mr. McCarthy in response.</p><p>🔶“Oh, I’m going to,” Mr. McCarthy shot back. “I might spend $5 million there, too.”<br>In this instance, Mr. McCarthy was as good as his word.</p><p>🔴In the months that followed, he helped direct more than $6 million into the race to defeat Mr. Good, <br>who is now fighting to hang on to his seat after coming up 375 votes short in his recent primary against a Trump-backed challenger, John J. <a href="https://c.im/tags/McGuire" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>McGuire</span></a>. <br>(Mr. Good’s campaign is paying for a recount, and he is claiming there was “inappropriate activity” at ballot drop boxes in Lynchburg, the district’s biggest city.)</p><p>Mr. McCarthy’s campaign to bring down Mr. Good was just one part of an ⭐️elaborate and expensive campaign of revenge ⭐️he has mounted since leaving Congress, one designed to ruin the Republicans he holds responsible for his demise.</p><p>“Bob Good was defeated, but the loser just can’t accept it yet,” said Brian O. <a href="https://c.im/tags/Walsh" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Walsh</span></a>, a top McCarthy ally who is coordinating the former speaker’s efforts to unseat the so-called “Crazy Eight” Republicans who crossed him.</p><p>Mr. McCarthy spent more than $4 million in an unsuccessful bid to defeat Representative Nancy <a href="https://c.im/tags/Mace" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Mace</span></a> of South Carolina in her primary last month, and his allies are now promoting ethics allegations against her in hopes of making her unelectable in the future. </p><p>He and his allies are backing a challenger to Representative Eli <a href="https://c.im/tags/Crane" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Crane</span></a> of Arizona, the sole first-term Republican who voted to remove Mr. McCarthy, who faces a primary in August. </p><p>And Mr. McCarthy is going after Representative Matt <a href="https://c.im/tags/Gaetz" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Gaetz</span></a> of Florida, his chief tormentor and the ringleader of the push to depose him, pushing accusations that Mr. Gaetz had sex with an underage girl.</p><p>Representative Matt <a href="https://c.im/tags/Rosendale" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Rosendale</span></a> of Montana, another of the Republicans who voted to oust the former speaker, abruptly dropped his re-election bid in March after rampant rumors circulated that he had an affair with a staff member. </p><p>Mr. Walsh declined to comment on whether Mr. McCarthy and those in his orbit had anything to do with that decision. But Mr. Rosendale’s decision saved them millions of dollars.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/07/us/politics/kevin-mccarthy-revenge-tour.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">nytimes.com/2024/07/07/us/poli</span><span class="invisible">tics/kevin-mccarthy-revenge-tour.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare</span></a></p>