 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. Less than 24 hours after losing a primary contest to a tea party-backed economist, Cantor announced Wednesday afternoon that he will resign as leader July 31, but keep his seat until his term ends in January. The current majority whip, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), faced an immediate challenge from Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) in his expected bid to become majority leader, the second-ranking leadership job behind Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). “While I may have suffered a personal setback last night, I couldn’t be more optimistic about the future of this country,” Cantor told reporters Wednesday afternoon. In addition to McCarthy, several senior Republicans are mulling bids for top posts, so it wasn’t immediately clear which positions will be open next week.  The jockeying among Republicans to replace Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.) as House majority leader began Wednesday within hours of his stunning primary loss and escalated when he announced he would step down early from his leadership post. (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. Text Size - 
 
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 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. Cantor’s decision to leave his leadership post after losing Tuesday to economist Dave Brat came on a day that Republicans began scrambling to build support and fill the leadership vacuum. Ambitious Republicans began working the phones, holding meetings and pigeonholing colleagues to line up support for their bids for two potential openings: majority leader and whip. (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. A confident Sessions predicted in an interview that he would beat McCarthy, arguing that his work to elect Republicans during the 2010 elections and his current leadership of powerful Rules Committee makes him ready to manage the House floor. Next week’s planned leadership elections will allow a transition period for Cantor and his staff to leave his post. With McCarthy seeking to climb the leadership ranks, Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), the chief deputy whip, announced to his inner circle Wednesday morning that he will run for whip, the third-highest position in leadership, and throw his support behind McCarthy as majority leader. Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-Ohio), a close Boehner ally, told reporters that the Texas GOP delegation was meeting to discuss leadership possibilities, with both Sessions and Hensarling being discussed as potential Cantor replacements. If McCarthy succeeds in the election to replace Cantor, his position would open up and the race for that potential post also heated up: Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) Scalise is chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, and a GOP aide said on Wednesday that as soon as Cantor’s loss became official, he began receiving calls from colleagues urging him to run for majority whip. Hensarling was seen huddling on the House floor Wednesday afternoon alongside House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), a key conservative broker. 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. Amid all the activity, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), currently the fourth-ranking Republican as chairman of the House Republican Conference, said Wednesday that she wouldn’t be seeking a higher position, meaning the leadership contest will focus on the majority leader and whip jobs. “I’ve been around this business for 14 years and I can’t remember when there hasn’t been an anti-Washington feeling,” he said. “I think that when all of the key leaders are from blue and purple states, and the rank and file are from red states, it creates some tension, or miscommunications, or misunderstandings that occur in our conference right now,” Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) “It’s certainly not dead as we found out last night.” 
 
 Other colleagues, still shellshocked by Tuesday’s stunning turn of events, just expressed condolences. “I’m sorry my friend lost,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.). “And he has not endorsed anyone in any race.” 
 
 Inside the meeting where Cantor announced his decision, Boehner made clear that he would run for Speaker again in the 114th Congress, lawmakers said. “McCarthy said ‘We're not doing anything until Eric does what Eric's going to do, we're going to give him room to make his decision,’” the source told The Hill.
– Eric Cantor confirmed this afternoon that he won't be launching a long-shot bid to remain in Congress with a write-in candidacy in Virginia's general election. He told his GOP colleagues behind closed doors that he will serve out his term but will step down as majority leader at the end of next month. “It doesn't have to be a bad day," he said at the GOP meeting, reports Politico. "Suffering is part of life, misery is a choice." He reiterated his decision at a news conference later, reports the Washington Post. “While I may have suffered a personal setback last night, I couldn’t be more optimistic about the future of this country,” Cantor said. So what's next for him? "That's probably between my wife and me," he said. Meanwhile, the House will have elections to pick a new majority leader on June 19, with the leading candidates being majority whip Kevin McCarthy of California and Pete Sessions of Texas. Sessions may have rankled colleagues by waiting only 20 minutes after Cantor's defeat was announced to start pushing his own candidacy, reports the Hill. (Click to read about the candidate who stunned Cantor in the primary, David Bratt.)