Chief Deputy Minority Whip Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) said Wednesday that he is not planning to run for chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee next cycle and that he hopes current NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas) considers staying on.

Rumors have swirled for months that Sessions may be interested in challenging McCarthy for the Majority Whip position if Republicans take control of the House.

McCarthy, chairman of recruitment for the NRCC, complimented Sessions’ work as chairman, noting the Texas Republican has gotten a lot of Members involved and has used a team-oriented approach to running the committee.

“I think the whole team over there has done an amazing job, and we’re going to be in a tight race two years from now,” McCarthy said in a phone interview from an Arizona airport.

“I will always help with the NRCC, but I’m not going to run it,” he added.

Jackie Kucinich contributed to this report.