Majority Leader Eric Cantor announced today that he will step down as Majority Leader on July 31. On June 19, the House Republicans will vote for a new Majority Leader. There are already two major contenders, Whip Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Pete Sessions. Both are already wrangling for votes. McCarthy has met with several committee chairs, according to the National Journal. During Cantor’s announcement, he said that he would support McCarthy in his bid. McCarthy is the early favorite in the race. On The Lead, anchor Jake Tapper asked who Republicans were supporting. The one Republican said that he was supporting McCarthy. Sessions, who is chair of the Rules Committee, is also expecting to run. TKNN has reported that Sessions has sent out text messages seeking support. Sessions is part of the Texas delegation and their support will be crucial. Sessions is running a campaign that paints him as the conservative.
If McCarthy wins, there would be another election to replace him. If Sessions wins, it would be interesting to see if McCarthy stays as Whip.
Speaker Boehner is not expected to endorse in the race.