Eric Cantor to Step Down As House Majority Leader Following Primary Loss, Throwing GOP Leadership Into Chaos

Last night, Eric Cantor became
the first House Majority Leader in history to lose a primary vote.
Later today, he will announce that he is stepping down from his
leadership role as of the end of July, according
to The Washington Post‘s Fix blog. Cantor has been the
House majority leader since 2011. 

What happens now? Because Cantor’s loss to challenger David Brat
was so unexpected, there’s no clear course.

It’s a big scramble, not just to find a replacement majority
leader, but to figure out who will step into the role of Speaker of
the House when Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) inevitably steps down.

Via
National Journal:

A senior Republican leadership aide described the mood as “chaos
for the leadership ranks.”

“We’re absolutely stunned. Honestly, we really can’t believe
it,” said the aide, who likened it to the 2004 election defeat of
Tom Daschle of South Dakota, who was Senate minority leader at the
time.

“Given the speculation Boehner himself may decide not to run
again for speaker, the idea had been out there that Cantor would
simply walk into the speakership,” said the aide. “But now, who the
hell would be the next speaker?”—particularly, the aide added, if
Paul Ryan doesn’t want it, or Rep. Tom Price of Georgia isn’t
interested.

Two possible successors for Cantor’s job are the current
Majority Whip, Kevin McCarthy, and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX),

according
to Politico. There are other potential
candidates as well.  

In the bigger picture, what this probably means is that we’re
not only going to see a move to fill a gap in GOP leadership, but a
public struggle to determine the direction and temperament of the
Republican party going forward. This won’t just be about finding
somebody to do the job. It will be about what kind of party the GOP
wants to be.

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