House Speaker Boehner quits after five stormy years

By Susan Cornwell and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner will step down and leave the House at the end of October after struggling with repeated rebellions by conservatives during a tumultuous five-year reign as the chamber's top Republican. U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy, 50, of California, the No. 2 House Republican, quickly became the leading contender to replace Boehner as speaker. McCarthy has been loyal to Boehner during his frequent