The House Republican leadership, so solid in its opposition to President Obama, was torn apart Tuesday by the defeat of its most influential conservative voice, Representative Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, whose demise will reverberate all the way to the speaker’s chair, pull the top echelons of the House even further to the right and likely doom any ambitious legislation, possibly through the next presidential election.
Conservatives who have helped fuel some of the most contentious showdowns over the last three years on issues like immigration and raising the federal debt ceiling, are likely be emboldened by Mr. Cantor’s shocking loss as they seek to replace him with someone even more closely aligned with their views. CONT.
Jonathan Weisman & Jennifer Steinhauer, New York Times