These 8 Republicans stood apart to remove Kevin McCarthy as House speaker

Rep. Kevin McCarthy's exit as House speaker was a classic case of how a handful of dissenters striking at the right time could overturn a much larger majority. McCarthy, a Republican representing California's 20th congressional district, which encompasses most of the San Joaquin Valley, quit soon after the House voted a stopgap to delay spending curbs for a few more weeks.

McCarthy had 208 members of his conference supporting him. But it took merely eight dissenters in his own party to eject him from the job. 

A few Republicans joined hands with Democrats to pin on McCarthy the dubious distinction of becoming the first speaker in U.S. history to be voted out of the position.

Significantly, the eight members have never been in the McCarthy fan club. They resented the deal McCarthy made with President Joe Biden to avoid a federal default. They voted against the bill Congress passed Saturday to keep the federal government operating through mid-November.