Rep. Kevin McCarthy replaces Eric Cantor as majority leader

House Republicans on Thursday elected Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the sitting House Whip and No. 3 member of the party leadership, as the next majority leader. McCarthy will replace Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who last week suffered a stunning primary election defeat to insurgent candidate Dave Brat.

McCarthy's win was widely expected, though it was still something of a slight rebuke to the party's more conservative, intransigent wing as McCarthy topped firebrand Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador. Labrador was one of a dozen lawmakers to not support Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) last re-election bid.

In just his fourth term, McCarthy made the quickest rise to majority leader in congressional history.

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