Can Kevin McCarthy Buck History to Become House Speaker?

The California Republican is in a good position, but it hasn't been a lucky one for his recent predecessors.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, speaks at the U.S. Capitol earlier this year.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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By Billy House

September 26, 2015 at 12:39 AM UTC

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Nothing's for certain, of course, but the No. 2 House Republican, Kevin McCarthy, appears to have a solid shot at becoming the next No. 1.

Speaker John Boehner's Friday announcement that he will step down at the end of October appears to give the California Republican that inside track—especially since popular Ways and Means Chairman and 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan says he's not interested. While McCarthy himself had not said as of Friday night what he will do and at least one other House Republican, Dan Webster of Florida, has already tossed his hat into the race, several rank-and-file members listed McCarthy as the obvious successor. And Boehner added his endorsement