BREAKING NEWS: Eric Cantor LOSES HIS PRIMARY Over Amnesty

BREAKING NEWS: Eric Cantor LOSES HIS PRIMARY Over Amnesty

Eric Cantor is an arrogant, establishment Republican who has been determined to push amnesty, no matter now loudly his base told him “no.” When Dave Brat challenged him, most people didn’t take it all that seriously.

Cantor-v-Dave

In all fairness, even though I said this on Twitter…

…I didn’t formally endorse him because I thought it was too much of a reach.

Well, guess what? Dave Brat has pulled it off.

In a stunning upset propelled by tea party activists, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) was defeated in Tuesday’s congressional primary, with insurgent David Brat delivering an unpredicted and devastating loss to the second most powerful Republican in the House who has widely been touted as a future speaker.

The race called shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern by the Associated Press.

…Brat’s victory gives the GOP a volatile outlook for the rest of the campaign season, with the party establishment struggling late Tuesday to grapple with the news and tea party conservatives relishing a surprising win.

“This is an earthquake,” said former Minnesota congressman Vin Weber, a friend of Cantor’s. “No one thought he’d lose.” But Brat, tapping into conservative anger over Cantor’s role in supporting efforts to reform federal immigration laws, found a way to combat Cantor’s significant financial edge.

Brat, an economics professor, simply failed to show up to D.C. meetings with powerful conservative agitators last month, citing upcoming finals. He only had $40,000 in the bank at the end of March, according to first quarter filings. Cantor had $2 million.

Despite those shortcomings, Brat has exposed discontent with Cantor in the solidly Republican, suburban Richmond 7th Congressional District by attacking the lawmaker on his votes to raise the debt ceiling and end the government shutdown, as well as his support for some immigration reforms. At a May meeting of Republican activists in the district, Cantor was booed, and an ally he campaigned for was ousted as the local party chairman in favor of a tea party favorite.

Incidentally, just to give you an idea of how Dave Brat just shocked the political world, this line was accidentally left in the Washington Post article about the story and is still live as I publish this post.

The question in this race is how large Cantor’s margin of victory will be. If he wins by more than 20 points, it will likely quell rumblings about his popularity back home. If Brat falls within 10 points of the seven-term congressman, it could stoke them.

Congrats to Dave Brat for winning and for shaking the arrogant establishment Republicans to the core.

Share this!

Enjoy reading? Share it with your friends!