Across Kevin McCarthy’s district, disappointment and opportunity abound as he steps down from...

Across Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s central California district, voters reacted with disappointment and uncertainty Wednesday about the future of an increasingly fractured Republican party after McCarthy revealed he will step down from Congress.

McCarthy is stepping down as an embattled politician whose winding career led him from a Bakersfield deli to second-in-line to the presidency as Speaker of the House. Then, earlier this year, a small contingent of fellow Republicans worked together to oust him from the top leadership position – a first in American politics.

McCarthy’s departure from Congress is seen as a dramatic end of a political era in the San Joaquin Valley.

“I hated to see him go,” Len Reinhart, 83, said from Old Town Clovis in the northern edge of McCarthy's sprawling district. “I just don't like their (the GOP’s) future. They're bickering too much. They’re not as strong as they used to be. I don’t know where they’re heading.”

A political feeding frenzy will almost certainly ensue once McCarthy’s seat is officially vacant. If that happens before Dec. 8, Gov. Gavin Newsom must call a special election.

If McCarthy doesn’t vacate his seat by the end of the week, it’s likely to remain empty through next year, leaving the district without a representative in Congress.