Republicans in Washington struggled to fill a leadership void on Thursday as the front-runner to take control of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, quit the race in a surprise announcement that heightened concerns about the party's ability to govern effectively.<br /><br />Representative McCarthy, the No. 2 House Republican, had been expected to win Thursday's contest for the nomination to succeed retiring Speaker John Boehner despite opposition from more conservative lawmakers demanding a harder line against Democratic President Barack Obama's agenda.<br /><br />But McCarthy stunned colleagues by bowing out before the vote, saying he was still short of the support needed to be an effective speaker.<br /><br />Full story: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/08/us-usa-congress-republicans-mccarthy-idUSKCN0S227G20151008<br /><br />PLEASE SUPPORT THE MIKE MALLOY YOUTUBE CHANNEL<br />http://tinyurl.com/MalloyChannelDonations
