After a gambit that sent the House into turmoil earlier this year, Congressman Matt Gaetz is apparently continuing his feud with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Gaetz convinced a handful of his Republican colleagues and every Democrat in the House to support his motion to vacate the Speaker's chair, ousting McCarthy and sending the House into a leaderless crisis, all because Gaetz said McCarthy had broken his promises to House conservatives.

McCarthy announced earlier this month that he would be leaving Congress at the end of the year, which is just days away. But Gaetz has decided his feud with McCarthy isn't over yet. According to POLITICO this morning, there are reports that McCarthy's picks in certain primaries are going to be challenged by Gaetz's own picks.

Gaetz, a prominent figure of the most conservative wing of the GOP, endorsed J.R. Majewski — who lost his bid last year after a report he misrepresented his combat duty — in the high-stakes race for Ohio’s 9th District House seat. Gaetz has also voiced support for former Nevada state Sen. Elizabeth Helgelien, who’s running to the right in Nevada’s 3rd District, and for Darren Bailey, an unsuccessful 2022 Illinois gubernatorial candidate who is now challenging Republican Rep. Mike Bost in IL-12.

The common theme among these candidates who have caught Gaetz’s attention: They’re all ultra-conservatives who are running in primaries against candidates backed by McCarthy.

McCarthy threw his weight around in competitive races early in the 2024 cycle, including endorsing state Rep. Heidi Kasama in NV-03 and former state Rep. Craig Riedel in OH-09, both of which are top targets for national Republicans. McCarthy has also boosted Bost’s reelection bid and spoken out against Bailey for challenging the incumbent.

Keep in mind that, currently, House Republicans have a two-seat majority once McCarthy leaves. 

The in-fighting in the party is likely to be more trouble than it's worth. Gaetz alienated a lot of his colleagues with his actions in the Speaker fight - both in early 2023 and over the summer. He denies that it's about McCarthy (saying "He’s old news. Mike Johnson’s speaker now," according to POLITICO), but it's clear it's about amassing power (whether for himself or for House conservatives) and his taking an active role in these primaries is a sign he wishes to play Kingmaker rather than sit on the sidelines.

The House could indeed stand to have more conservatives interested in reducing the size and scope of government, as well as spending, and it's not like McCarthy is known to be extremely conservative on those fronts. It's likely that his picks won't be the most conservative options on the ballot. But, there is a problem with timing: 2024 is looking to be extremely unpredictable, and Republicans need as much unity as they can muster.

In 2022, bitter divisions within the Republican Party - as well as candidate quality - keep the promised "red wave" from materializing. The result was a massive disappointment for Republicans and a very narrow majority in the House. The divisions within the party have lingered, making that slim majority almost meaningless as Republicans can't come to terms with themselves in the chamber, much less negotiate with Democrats.

Will divisions in the primaries hurt Republicans in the general? There are a lot of factors at play. But it's one more fight the Republicans may not be able to afford right now.