In what has come as a shock to many, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was defeated by David Brat in the primaries for the congressional election in Virginia’s 7th district. Brat, backed by the Tea Party, had been critical of Cantor for not being conservative enough. The economics professor accused Cantor of supporting amnesty for illegal immigrants, and for being soft on immigration in general. What’s even more surprising is that Bart was able to win with just a mere $200,000 in financing for his campaign. Keep that in mind when his opponent spent $5.4 million on his own.
Republicans will take a big blow with Cantor’s removal from office. Many expected the majority leader to succeed John A. Boehner as the Speaker of the House. During his concession speech Cantor did not offer reasoning for his loss, but only apologized to the supporters who he had disappointed.
Meanwhile Brat exclaimed he believed that voters were finally tired of the partisan infighting. Brat told Fox News, “The American people want to pay attention to serious ideas again. Our founding was built by people who were political philosophers, and we need to get back to that, away from this kind of cheap political rhetoric of right and left.” Still this is only the primaries. Brat still has to focus on defeating Democrat Jack Trammell this fall, though their district is heavily Republican.
Republicans were so confident in Cantor’s win that they were not just watching for a win, but by how big of a gap it would be by. Cantor is currently serving his seventh term, and was assured as all but a lock for reelection. In the past he has won his primary election by as much as 79%. Now Republicans are concerned that his removal will have major implications for the future of immigration reform.
Cantor has also been criticized of largely ignoring his home district. Despite having a home and kids attending school in the region, Cantor has spent little time with the people he represents. Instead, Cantor has spent a large percentage of his time traveling across the country campaigning and raising funds for other Republican candidates. Many of those who put Cantor in office have felt forgotten, had seem destined to take Boehner’s seat as Speaker.
Democrats have been celebrating since the news has spread. The New York Times quoted Representative Louise M. Slaughter of New York, the senior Democrat on the House Rules Committee, as saying, “I never thought I’d see the day that Eric Cantor would be losing his primary.” Once the hype settles though, it will be time to get back to work. And it looks like big changes are most likely coming.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., and his wife, Diana, leave the stage after his concession speech in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, June 10, 2014. Cantor lost in the GOP primary to tea party candidate Dave Brat. Steve Helber/AP Photo
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