Thread: McCarthy selected as new House majority leader

California Rep. Kevin McCarthy selected as new House majority leader

Published June 19, 2014 FoxNews.com

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of Calif., arrives for GOP leadership elections, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 19, 2014.AP


WASHINGTON – In a GOP leadership shuffle, Republican lawmakers voted Thursday for California Rep. Kevin McCarthy to succeed Rep. Eric Cantor as House majority leader after Cantor's unexpected primary defeat last week.

McCarthy, a fourth-term lawmaker who had held the No. 3 GOP position, was elected by secret ballot.

The day's second election, to succeed McCarthy as party whip, remained an unpredictable three-way competition among Reps. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Peter Roskam of Illinois and Marlin Stutzman of Indiana.

The new leaders will govern for only 12 legislative days between when Cantor officially calls it quits on July 31 and November’s midterm elections.

Congress is off most of August and October.

Tension among Republicans has been brewing even before Cantor’s loss, with unhappy conservatives and Tea Party members jockeying for more say.

McCarthy, who faced Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, was believed to be way ahead going into Thursday’s voting. McCarthy, 49, moved quickly to line up the votes for majority leader following Cantor’s loss in Virginia.

Members voting wrote the name of the candidate they wanted on slips of paper. There are currently 233 members of the House Republican Conference; about 117 votes were needed to win.

A bloc of a few dozen Republicans, mainly rock-ribbed conservatives, likely voted for Labrador as the "alternative" candidate to the "establishment."

Experts say Thursday’s vote is a dress rehearsal for a potential GOP leadership shakeup following November’s midterm elections.

That battle for power could include House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who is up for re-election after the Nov. 4 midterms.

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