Courtesy of Business Insider

Jonathan Frahm

Staff Writer
@JNoodles_

When House majority leader Eric Cantor lost the Northern Virginian Republican primary in November to Tea Party-backed David Brat, to say Washington was set to undergo a major change was an understatement.

Now, in a strategic shocker, becoming the No. 2 House Republican, Cantor revealed that he would be officially resigning from his seat as early as August 18.

With exactly 2 weeks left in House, Cantor remarked that he came to this decision based on the incoming lame-duck session that will see Congress meeting his successor right before his/her job officially begins: “The issues that will be considered during the lame-duck session this year will be crucial to the future of our country. These debates will continue into the new Congress, and the people of this district deserve to have their new voice representing them and engaging on their behalf.”

What makes this a sealed deal is Cantor’s aim to have Virginian Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe call a special election on November 4 to name his successor on the same day as the general election. In other words, by resigning early, Cantor is ensuring that his successor will be able to begin their new job immediately after his officiated step-down.

However, McAuliffe has not yet confirmed whether or not he would honor this request.

Mississippian Republican Gregg Harper said this of Cantor’s sudden announcement: “From a selfish standpoint, I hate to see him leave, but from a professional standpoint, I respect him,” – a sentiment which many House Republicans will surely follow suit in acknowledging in the days leading to Cantor’s official departure.

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