Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, said Thursday that whoever takes over as Majority Leader will dictate if Congress will be able to compromise and find middle ground, or if the Republican party will become more conservative.
“It’ll be some indication of if they’re going to stay far right, or if they’re going to go even further right,” he said on MSNBC.
Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican, announced Wednesday that he will step down as majority leader at the end of July following a surprising primary loss Tuesday to tea party candidate David Brat.
“I think what the election showed is what we’ve been saying all along, that the Republican party is a deeply divided, dysfunctional party at this time,” Mr. Hoyer said.
While many have recently speculated that the tea party movement is over, Mr. Hoyer said this big win could reignite the grassroots movement.
“I think the tea party is going to be energized by this election,” he said.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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