But in the long term, GOP disarray and the growing clout of conservatives in the House suggest a dramatic shift within the Republican Party that could weaken the party’s business allies. Tea party activists on and off Capitol Hill are agitating for an agenda that is anathema to the K Street crowd, including the shuttering of the Export-Import Bank and direct confrontations with the White House that could lead to a government shutdown.

“There was this incredible iron grip between the appropriators, leaders, K Street — think how busted up that is,” declared Adam Brandon, CEO of the tea party group FreedomWorks. “The next speaker is going to be much more interested in keeping grassroots Americans happy than keeping K Street happy.”

FreedomWorks ginned up more than 11,000 messages to Capitol Hill in the 48 hours prior to McCarthy’s announcement, urging Republicans not to vote for the Californian on the grounds he is “John Boehner lite,” and that Boehner’s opponents “cannot allow his favorite crony to replace him.”