Will Eric Cantor be the next Speaker of the House?

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Washington Examiner:

A year ago, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was viewed by the media and political pundits as overly ambitious, a man who would stick a shiv in the back of Speaker John Boehner if he thought it would hasten his ascension to Speaker of the House.

 

But beginning in 2013, the Virginia Republican moved to soften his public Image and realign himself with Boehner, rarely breaking with him on major legislation and playing team ball inside the Republican leadership. All the while, Cantor has quietly worked behind the scenes to strengthen his ties with Tea Party members, and solicit the views of a wide range of the House rank-and-file on an agenda that he believes will win over voters in 2014.

 

By repositioning himself and creating an agenda GOP lawmakers can tout back home, Cantor has solidified his position as the heir apparent should Boehner, 64, give up the speakership in 2015, as some lawmakers believe he will.

Presiding over the badly split GOP conference, with pragmatists and hard-line conservatives often at each other's throats, has clearly taken a toll on the affable Boehner, who rose in Congress by promoting a "bottom-up" leadership style that gives members a major role in crafting legislation. If Republicans don't seize the Senate in next fall's elections, ending the gridlock with the Republican House, the chances of Boehner leaving may rise.