WASHINGTON — Representative Eric Cantor, Republican of Virginia, resigned as majority leader Wednesday, completing a precipitous fall after his stunning loss in a primary and setting off an internal battle to remake the upper ranks of House leadership. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Mr. Cantor’s move, effective July 31, stopped a political a trajectory that would have made him the first Jewish speaker of the House and instead will leave him with a place in history he never sought, as the first majority leader to lose a primary. 
 
 Republicans set leadership elections for next Thursday, and by stepping down as majority leader quickly, Mr. Cantor hoped to limit a festering struggle within the House Republican conference over who would assume his post, a feud likely to push an already conservative Republican House leadership further to the right and embolden the chamber’s most stubborn conservatives who have long chafed at what they saw as an accommodating leadership. 
 
 Mr. Cantor quickly threw his support behind his “dear friend and colleague,” Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the majority whip, the No. 3 leadership position. But Representative Pete Sessions of Texas said he would seek the majority leader’s spot and would make border security — not an immigration overhaul — his primary focus. 
 
 Continue reading the main story Video 
 
 “Our conference does need to move to a more conservative perspective,” Mr. Sessions said. 
 
 In a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Wednesday afternoon, Speaker John A. Boehner gave a speech he said he had never expected to give. 
 
 “Winston Churchill once famously said: ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts,' ” he said. “I can tell you there’s plenty of wisdom in that statement.” 
 
 In defeat, Mr. Cantor leaned on his Jewish faith. In announcing his decision to step down, he told his colleagues of a Holocaust survivor he met who put political travails in perspective. He told reporters that in his religious studies, “you learn a lot about individual setbacks. You also learn each setback is an opportunity and there’s always optimism for the future.” 
 
 That optimism also shifted to conservative lawmakers, who only weeks ago were being marginalized by their leaders. On Wednesday, they said they received overtures all day from those who hoped to lead them next. 
 
 Continue reading the main story Video 
 
 “There sounds like a lot of movement out there for a more conservative faction for leadership,” said Representative John Fleming, Republican of Louisiana, who got his first text message from a leadership candidate early Wednesday morning. 
 
 The shock waves from Mr. Cantor’s defeat by the Tea Party candidate David Brat — and his quick exit from the leadership stage — will have broad ramifications for the remainder of President Obama’s term and the Republican Party’s efforts to regain the White House. Conservative Republicans say their districts are seething with anger over what Tea Party voters see as weak leadership in the fight against an “imperial presidency.” 
 
 Advertisement Continue reading the main story 
 
 Advertisement Continue reading the main story 
 
 “That’s what we’re seeing around America. I know in my district people are upset. People want government to be accountable, to start doing what they were sent up to do,” said Representative Ted Yoho of Florida, who in 2012 defeated an entrenched but conservative Republican incumbent. 
 
 In the meeting on Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Boehner sought to put to rest any talk of a brush fire that could sweep into the speaker’s office, declaring that he would seek re-election as speaker in the next Congress. Supporters had encouraged him to declare now before the House’s most conservative Republicans became too emboldened. 
 
 “With shake-ups like this, it’s really important to have a steady hand on top,” said Representative Devin Nunes, Republican of California. “You can’t lose both of those guys at once,” he added about Mr. Boehner and Mr. Cantor. 
 
 Some conservatives indicated they may not be happy unless Mr. Boehner has a scare. 
 
 “I’m leaving an open mind to that question,” Mr. Fleming said. “I think undoubtedly everything will be up for discussion.” 
 
 The contest between Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Sessions will tug hard at the Tea Party class of 2010. Mr. Sessions headed the National Republican Congressional Committee in that year, a Tea Party wave, and he enters the leadership race with the large Texas delegation behind him. 
 
 But Mr. McCarthy headed candidate recruitment in 2010. He pushed to expand the electoral map into long-held Democratic districts, pursued unusual candidates who he believed fit the newly drawn districts of 2010, and crisscrossed the country on their behalf. He also brings his own large whip operation to the race to counter the Texans. 
 
 Mr. Sessions put himself forward as the man who beat his own Tea Party challenger handily this year. “I admire Eric and think he has done a phenomenal job, but with that said, unfortunately he lost,” Mr. Sessions said. “We have to refocus on winning.” 
 
 Continue reading the main story Virginia – U.S. House District 7 
 
 If Mr. McCarthy wins the No. 2 position, Representative Peter Roskam of Illinois, Mr. McCarthy’s chief deputy whip, will square off against Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the head of the conservative Republican Study Committee, for Mr. McCarthy’s House majority whip position. Mr. Scalise could seek the post regardless. 
 
 Conservatives have groused for more than a year that the top four leadership posts belong to members from Ohio, Virginia, California and Washington, all states that voted for President Obama. The demand for “red state leadership” could spell trouble for Mr. Roskam should Mr. McCarthy prevail. The No. 4 Republican, Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, said she would remain in her slot as Republican conference chairwoman. 
 
 But other wild cards are looming. Representative Jeb Hensarling of Texas publicly thanked House colleagues for encouraging him to join the leadership race. 
 
 “There are many ways to advance the causes of freedom and free enterprise, and I am prayerfully considering the best way I can serve in those efforts,” he said. 
 
 Republicans close to Mr. McCarthy said the Californian has nothing to fear from Mr. Sessions, but a lot to be concerned about if Mr. Hensarling joins the race. 
 
 Other potential challengers include Representatives Tom Price and Tom Graves of Georgia. 
 
 House Republicans said the longer the fights festered below the surface, the greater the chance that the battles could turn ugly and spread, sweeping in other targets, even Mr. Boehner. One senior House Republican said the faster the races could be run, the better the chance Mr. McCarthy had to become majority leader. 
 
 Otherwise, he added, “chaos could reign.” ||||| Eric Cantor — looking composed and even unusually at ease — went before the press on Wednesday afternoon and announced he’s stepping down as majority leader, ending an 11-year run in Republican leadership. 
 
 The No. 2 House Republican called his defeat to an upstart primary challenger a “personal setback,” adding that his campaign team had done everything it could to win. 
 
 Text Size - 
 
 + 
 
 reset 
 
 The public appearance came after a closed-door speech to his colleagues earlier in which Cantor said that it “doesn’t have to be a bad day.” He was the recipient of several standing ovations. 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: The GOP leadership scramble) 
 
 “Suffering is part of life, misery is a choice,” said Cantor, the only Jewish Republican in the House, quoting a Holocaust survivor. “As conservatives, we aren’t just the party of no. We really do believe in a better way of life.” 
 
 Cantor then addressed the national press corps, one day after his stunning defeat, dismissing the argument that he had absented himself too frequently from his Seventh District in Richmond. 
 
 “I was in my district every week,” Cantor insisted emphatically. “There is a balance between holding a leadership position and serving constituents at home. Never was there a day that I did not put the constituents of the 7th district first and I will continue to do so.” 
 
 He endorsed California Rep. Kevin McCarthy to succeed him as majority leader. The election will be held June 19, and Cantor plans to leave his post by the end of July. He’ll stay in the House until December. 
 
 (PHOTOS: Scenes from Eric Cantor HQ) 
 
 Asked about his future plans, Cantor replied: “That’s probably between my wife and me.” 
 
 Addressing his colleagues earlier, Cantor’s words drove Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to tears. Leadership elections are slated for just eight days away on June 19, according to a source in the room. 
 
 “Winston Churchill once famously said: ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts,’” Boehner said, according to a source in the room. “As one who suffered a tough defeat myself in 1998, I can tell you there’s plenty of wisdom in that statement. Eric, we salute you, and we thank you, and your amazing staff as well. We’re losing a leader, but you’ll never stop being our colleague and our friend.” 
 
 Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will seek the No. 2 job, which means two slots will open in the leadership hierarchy. 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: 5 takeaways from Cantor shocker) 
 
 Cantor’s resignation as majority leader will be effective July 31. He’s not expected to leave Congress until his term ends in January. 
 
 Cantor, who came to Capitol Hill in 2001, lost his primary election Tuesday night to Dave Brat, an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va. — a historic defeat for someone who was assumed to be the next speaker of the House. Just hours after his loss, Cantor’s GOP colleagues began rallying support for leadership races. 
 
 On Wednesday afternoon, McCarthy, the Californian who is now majority whip, held a meeting with his close allies to talk strategy about his run for leader. 
 
 McCarthy is starting to build establishment support within the GOP Conference. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was seen leaving McCarthy’s office on the first floor of the Capitol. And Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton of Michigan said in an interview he would support McCarthy for majority leader. 
 
 Prior to a 1 p.m. House vote, a sizable group of young Republican lawmakers — including Rep. Tom Rooney of Florida — met to talk about who they would rally behind. 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: Vampire writer challenging Brat) 
 
 Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), a McCarthy rival who chairs the House Rules Committee, has also begun rallying support in calls and text messages. He began Tuesday night, just after Cantor lost, with a mass text message saying he wanted to serve as majority leader. 
 
 Sessions had ambitions to be whip following the Republican takeover of the House in 2010, but McCarthy had more support and the Texas Republican instead ended up as Rules chairman. 
 
 As of now, McCarthy is fielding calls, and speaking with many Republican lawmakers, but has not yet engaged in a formal campaign. His strategy will be to make his ascension appear to be the most logical choice for Republicans. He has the whip operation and piles of chits to win the race. ||||| Conservatives who were part of some of the recent showdowns now see potential spoils: Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, for example, has been laying the groundwork for the last several weeks to slide into an open slot should Mr. Boehner retire and, it was assumed, Mr. Cantor take his spot. 
 
 Advertisement Continue reading the main story 
 
 While the most conservative members saw immediate validation in Mr. Cantor’s defeat, more conciliatory members saw deep trouble ahead. A chastened House leadership will struggle to do the most basic functions of governance — increasing the debt limit, funding the government and passing routine bills — further alienating Congress with the middle of the electorate, said Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York. Mr. Cantor’s defeat will put an immigration overhaul even further out of reach, something that would hurt Republicans in the next presidential election when they will need to cut into the Democrats’ lead with immigrant and Latino voters. 
 
 “The results tonight will move the party further to the right, which will marginalize us further as a national party,” Mr. King said. 
 
 Video 
 
 The message from the most conservative primary voters was that even Mr. Cantor, who fashioned himself as the tip of the Tea Party’s spear, was not safe. His position in favor of a modest relaxation of immigration law became the rallying cry for the right. 
 
 And in a year when the Republican establishment was supposed to finally conquer its Tea Party wing, the upstarts wound up with perhaps the biggest victory of any primary season. 
 
 David Wasserman, a House political analyst at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said another, more local factor has to be acknowledged: Mr. Cantor, who dreamed of becoming the first Jewish speaker of the House, was culturally out of step with a redrawn district that was more rural, more gun-oriented and more conservative. 
 
 “Part of this plays into his religion,” Mr. Wasserman said. “You can’t ignore the elephant in the room.” 
 
 Virginia – U.S. House District 7 
 
 Mr. Cantor’s demise is mildly Shakespearean. Along with Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, Mr. Cantor helped elevate Tea Party candidates in 2010 across the nation by giving them financial and political support, only to be done in by the very type of newcomer he once groomed. 
 
 Mr. Cantor can still mount a write-in campaign ahead of the November election, but he would face long odds. 
 
 Advertisement Continue reading the main story 
 
 Mr. King said no one saw the defeat coming. Mr. Cantor was spending money, at least $5 million through the middle of May, lining up an array of the Republican consultants and pollsters. He was a prodigious fund-raiser and a well-liked ambassador to many of the party’s top donors. Lawmakers thought he was simply trying to run up the score to establish dominance in the district, and he had evinced no concern whatsoever, lawmakers said Tuesday night. 
 
 Mr. Wasserman predicted “a free-for-all” when House Republicans assemble after November to pick their new leaders. At the least, Mr. McCarthy, the No. 3 Republican, will seek to move up to majority leader, but he also could challenge Mr. Boehner. 
 
 More broadly, Mr. Cantor’s defeat will embolden conservatives like Representative Tom Price of Georgia, who has openly complained that the leadership positions are occupied by swing-state Republicans. 
 
 Candidates to move up could include Mr. Price, Representative Jeb Hensarling of Texas, or brash newcomers like Representative Tom Graves of Georgia, Mr. Wasserman said. The message is that the House must be run by even more conservative leaders. 
 
 At the least, Mr. Obama’s push for a comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws now seems even more elusive. 
 
 Mr. Cantor’s opponent, Mr. Brat, had virtually no money to conduct a true campaign, but he focused on immigration. His megaphone was conservative radio show host Laura Ingraham, who criticized Mr. Cantor’s positions on immigration. 
 
 “The world just changed,” said Stephen Miller, a spokesman for Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama and a fierce opponent of the immigration overhaul.
– The House majority leader who used to cozy up to upstart Tea Party candidates has been crushed in his GOP primary by a little-known challenger from the movement, and analysts say America's political landscape is looking very different this morning. "The biggest Congressional upset in modern memory" will have far-reaching consequences, including the death of immigration reform, predicts Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post, noting that rival David Brat savaged Cantor for allegedly supporting an amnesty and other Republicans are now extremely unlikely to go out on a limb to support any elements of reform. House legislative activity is also likely to grind to a halt as Republicans become terrified of doing anything that could be used against them in primaries still to come, Cillizza writes—not that there were many "grand legislative plans" anyway. The defeat of the House majority leader isn't just rare, it's completely unprecedented in the history of the office, Alexandra Jaffe at the Hill finds. Since the office was created in 1899, there were 55 successful renomination bids before last night—and until Cantor's loss, House majority leaders were more likely to die than be defeated. With Cantor out, Tim Alberta at the National Journal predicts that Speaker John Boehner and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy could be next as conservative House GOPers push "for a wholesale change in leadership." He says that soon after Cantor's defeat, one conservative lawmaker told him, "They haven't been conservative enough. We've told them that for three years. They wouldn't listen." Cantor's defeat is a bad omen for moderates and is "mildly Shakespearian" in light of his early support for Tea Party candidates, write Jonathan Weisman and Jennifer Steinhauer at the New York Times. But they suggest there could be more than policy behind his defeat. A House political analyst at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report says Cantor—the most senior Jewish lawmaker in congressional history—"was culturally out of step with a redrawn district that was more rural, more gun-oriented, and more conservative." Cantor's religion, he says, was "the elephant in the room." Click for more on the man who handed Cantor his stunning loss.