North Carolina Rep. McHenry, who led House through speaker stalemate, won’t seek reelection in 2024

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry, who presided temporarily over the U.S. House for three intense weeks while Republicans struggled to elect a permanent speaker after Kevin McCarthy’s ouster, announced Tuesday that he won’t seek reelection to his seat next year.

McHenry, who was first elected to the House in 2004 at age 29, unveiled the surprise decision the day after candidate filing started in North Carolina. He currently represents the 10th Congressional District covering several counties north and west of Charlotte entering the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

He had announced his reelection bid in late October, just two days after the completion of another congressional redistricting by the Republican-controlled legislature that kept the reconfigured 10th District on the GOP side of the ledger in the November 2024 election.

That announcement also came two days after U.S. House Republicans ultimately got behind Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana to become the next speaker.