WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California appears likely to win election as House majority leader on Thursday when Republicans vote in the wake of Eric Cantor’s surprising primary defeat, but an unpredictable, contest to select a new party whip may tell more about the House GOP’s future.

Reps. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Peter Roskam of Illinois and Marlin Stutzman of Indiana vied for the whip’s job in a race that several lawmakers said would turn on geographical, personal and ideological factors in a party where cohesiveness is often elusive.