Crowd roar

Conservatives roar as Rubio tells a crowd of Boehner's demise

By Daniel Strauss

Conservatives at the Values Voters Summit cheered the demise of House Speaker John Boehner as Sen. Marco Rubio said the time had come to make way for new leaders.

“Just a few minutes ago, Speaker Boehner announced that he would be resigning,” Rubio told the crowd gathered in Washington, and the audience roared in approval.

The 2016 candidate, who claims conservative credentials but also an ability to reach more mainstream Republicans, said he wasn’t “here to bash” Boehner or “anyone” but added “the time has come to turn the page and allow a new generation of leaders.”

When Rubio broke from his prepared remarks, he had been speaking about Washington lawmakers who are “more out of touch with the American people” than ever.

The fissures between conservative and mainstream Republicans have been playing out for more than four years in Congress and have in no small part driven the 2016 presidential contest. Boehner's planned retirement gave conservative activists an opportunity to claim credit for shifting the GOP farther to the right -- and it could prove a boon to the most conservative contenders, such Sen. Ted Cruz.