It captioning sponsored by cbs this is the cbs evening news with scott pelley. Pelley good evening. A few hours ago eric cantor was one of the most powerful men in washington am but late today he announced he is stepping down as House Majority leader after a stunning defeat in a republican primary in virginia last night. He was up set by a candidate backed by the tea party, david brat. And it wasnt even close. Cantor, elected to the house in 2000 and majority leader since 2011 appeared to be on track to become speaker of the house. His defeat was the first of a majority leader since that post was created more than a century ago. No one saw it coming and it sent shockwaves across the country. Our Political Team looks at why it happened and what happens next. First nancy cordes on capitol hill, nancy . Reporter scott, because this is washington, lawmakers began jockeying for cantors leadership post within a few hours of his surprise defeat. All day long they have been Holding Secret meet