WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy officially announced his candidacy to replace John Boehner as speaker of the House of Representatives on Monday, promising to heal the party's divisions.
"If elected speaker, I promise you that we will have the courage to lead the fight for our conservative principles and make our case to the American people," McCarthy wrote in a letter to his House Republican colleagues. "But we will also have the wisdom to listen to our constituents and each other so that we always move forward together."