WASHINGTON — Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California appears likely to win election as House majority leader Thursday when Republicans vote in the wake of Eric Cantor’s primary defeat, but an unpredictable contest to select a new party whip might tell more about the House GOP’s future.
Reps. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Peter Roskam of Illinois and Marlin Stutzman of Indiana vied for the whip’s job in a race several lawmakers said would turn on geographical, personal and ideological factors in a party where cohesiveness is often elusive.
Yet not even victory in Thursday’s election was assurance of a long lease on office inside the leadership. The rank and file will reconvene after midterm elections.
This week’s elections are a reminder of the turmoil within the party. Cantor, the current majority leader, unexpectedly lost a primary last week to Tea Party-backed David Brat, an economics professor and political newcomer, and announced he would step down from his leadership post July 30.
Numerous lawmakers and aides said McCarthy, the current whip, was well-positioned to move up a step, despite a late challenge from Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho.
The whip’s race was far harder to handicap. Scalise, 48, positioned himself as an agent of change, and drew support from the Republican Study Committee, an organization that he heads.
Roskam, 52, is McCarthy’s deputy whip, and in a bow to rank-and-file sentiment, has promised to name a red-state deputy if he wins.
Stutzman, 37, entered the race after the other two. He is trying to tap into suspicions among some that Scalise has sometimes been too accommodating with the leadership.
