Former McCarthy Deputy Garret Graves Weighs His Future

Politico: “Graves, a onetime consigliere to Kevin McCarthy who saw his influence wane after the former speaker’s ouster, last week watched his district get dismantled by the Louisiana legislature. State lawmakers, facing a federal court order to redraw their maps and create a second majority-Black seat, chose to protect Johnson, Scalise, and two other Republicans while icing out Graves. GOP Gov. Jeff Landry signed the maps into law Monday.”

“Now, Graves will have to choose whether to run for a seat he’s almost certain to lose, challenge a colleague — likely his old mentee, Rep. Julia Letlow — or forgo another run altogether. Graves’ fall illustrates how quickly the loss of top allies can tarnish a rising star; just months ago, he was arguably more powerful than Scalise as he negotiated a high-profile debt deal on behalf of his party.”

“And it could mean an ugly member-on-member primary, in a year when the GOP majority is about as thin as it can get.”