The surprising upset Tuesday for House Majority leader Eric Cantor has the GOP looking for a possible successor.
Pundits are already throwing a few names around as possible replacements, including two Northwest lawmakers who have prominent roles in the House Republican leadership. But neither is likely to seek a promotion.
Greg Walden is Oregon's only Republican member of Congress. He easily turned aside a Tea Party challenger in last month's primary. And he's the head of the House Republicans' election committee.
From Washington state, Cathy McMorris Rodgers is the highest ranking Republican woman in Congress and helps run the House GOP caucus.
But neither Walden nor McMorris Rodgers has expressed interest in succeeding Eric Cantor as House majority leader.
Political analyst Bill Lunch isn’t surprised. He says they’d have a tough time getting selected in a U.S. House that’s leaning more to the political right.
"Both Walden and McMorris Rodgers are, by the standards that we now use, not historic standards, fairly moderate Republicans," Lunch says.
Lunch says the two lawmakers have another mark against them: They’re from a part of the country that isn’t known for producing strong Republican leaders.
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