Scalise emphasized that he would bring a fresh voice to leadership and asked President Obama to work with them to solve the nations problems. "We've got solid conservative solutions that are gonna solve the problems facing our country," he said.

McCarthy and Scalise will not officially assume their new roles until July 31, when Cantor steps down from the post. At that point only 12 legislative days are scheduled before the Nov. 4 midterm election. And, after those midterms wrap up, another round of internal elections will be held for both parties in the House to choose leaders for the next Congress.

Republicans, in fact, were buzzing about this fall's elections before Thursday's contest was completed.

"We're going to hold them accountable," Representative Jeff Duncan of South Carolina said Wednesday when speaking about the candidates in Thursday's races. "There's another leadership election right around the corner, and we're going to watch how this new leadership team works with the speaker and how they lead the conference through this crucial November election. And then we'll judge them."

While McCarthy supporters were celebrating, FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe was already pointing in response to Labrador's loss to the next round of leadership voting after the Nov. 4 elections—a harbinger of possible battles ahead.

"We are looking forward to an even bigger group of liberty leadership candidates after the elections in November," said Kibbs.

McCarthy will become the nation's 25th different House majority leader—a position created in 1899 and first held by another Republican, Elisha Payne of New York. No majority leader has ever risen from that post to eventually become president. But some have been promoted to speaker—including Boehner, who was leader from 2005 to 2007.

The main duties of a majority leader are to schedule legislation for floor consideration, and planning the daily—and weekly—agendas, along with gauging member sentiment on goals and how to proceed.

McCarthy will have more than a month to transition into the new role, but he could nonetheless face a baptism by fire. There's a bundle of unresolved but important legislation in this Congress that a leader must decide whether or when to move forward on. Those range from unfinished appropriations bills for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, to miscellaneous tariffs, terrorism risk insurance, the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, re-chartering the Export-Import Bank, replenishing the Highway Trust Fund, and passing a new surface-transportation bill.

Some House Republicans have said they believe Cantor sticking around through next month will help McCarthy—Cantor's best friend in Congress—and his staff learn the ropes of their new job. Cantor endorsed McCarthy to succeed him last Wednesday after announcing his July 31 resignation as leader.