Article snippet: House Majority Leader MORE (R-Ohio) as Speaker. Several lawmakers are talking about McCarthy, the second-ranking House Republican, as the odds-on favorite in the wake of Boehner’s surprise decision to leave Congress at the end of October. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he wasn’t interested in Boehner’s job and that he assumed it was McCarthy’s for the taking. Conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus have held informal talks about a leadership team that could include McCarthy as Speaker, with other conservatives below him. “I think it would be good to have a leadership team that is diverse and represents the entire conference,” said Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), a frequent Boehner foe. McCarthy himself called for a “healing” among House Republicans while declining to say whether he would mount a bid to replace Boehner. “Now is the time for our conference to focus on healing and unifying to face the challenges ahead and always do what is best for the American people,” he said in a statement. McCarthy has sought to move to the right to appease conservatives, most notably by announcing his opposition to the Export-Import Bank shortly after then-Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) was defeated in a primary. The move was widely seen as an effort to shore up McCarthy’s support with the right, and he was elected to replace Cantor as majority leader. It was the latest development in McCarthy’s quick ascent in GOP leadership;... Link to the full article to read more