GOP House majority leader and conservative pain in the ass Eric Cantor just lost his primary in Virginia to Tea Party upstart David Brat.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's (R-VA) lost to tea party primary challenger David Brat in the Republican primary on Tuesday.
The race was called at about 8:05 p.m. Cantor lost to primary challenger David Brat.
Who is Brat? He is an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College. Brat was regarded as a long shot candidate but Cantor's campaign still spent over $1 million on advertising to stress that the top House Republican is a "strong conservative."
Cantor's campaign also sent out mailers arguing that he's largely responsible for blocking immigration reform, signs, perhaps, that Brat seemed like more of a threat than he appeared publicly.
Cantor and his advisers gave dual messages going into Tuesday's primary night.
"I'm just not worried," Cantor adviser Ray Allen told The Hill.
Well Eric, you should have been, because you lost 56-44. The good news? Cantor is toast. The bad news? David Brat is a lunatic.
Mr. Brat, an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., had support from radio host Laura Ingraham, who hosted a rally with him in a Richmond suburb last week that centered upon Mr. Brat’s opposition to immigration reform.
Mr. Brat appeared more interested in campaigning to make a point than in winning. The Washington Post reported last month that he no-showed meetings with key conservative activists in the capital. His excuse: He had final exams to grade.
There are clues to Mr. Brat’s ideology in his academic CV. His current book project is titled “Ethics as Leading Economic Indicator? What went Wrong? Notes on the Judeo-Christian Tradition and Human Reason.”
His other published works include the titles “God and Advanced Mammon – Can Theological Types Handle Usury and Capitalism?” and “An Analysis of the Moral Foundations in Ayn Rand.”
The worst news? Unless Cantor pulls a Lisa Murkowski and runs as an independent, it's over for him and Brat could win big.
If there is a saving grace, Republicans will now get pulled so far to the right that the Dems may end up keeping the Senate.
And how are Democrats taking this?
Guess.
Wake me when movement progs unseat our own leadership. Mock the tea partiers all you want. They get it done. We don't.
— David Atkins (@DavidOAtkins) June 11, 2014
If there is a saving grace, Republicans will now get pulled so far to the right that they may end up keeping the Senate.
ReplyDeleteDid you mean that the Democrats will keep the Senate?
You guessed right Zandar the purity police is out on full display. These are the same people that tell our core constituency to stay home and protest.
ReplyDeleteDavid O Atkins is not a Democrat. David O Atkins is a schmuck.
ReplyDeleteDavid "I'm a big cheese in my county political machine" Atkins is a notorious doucheweasel who thinks the strategy for leftist victory involves throwing elections to the Republicans to incite a radical backlash that will usher in the progressive utopia.
ReplyDeleteAfter needless suffering and death on a massive scale, caused by the unfettered implementation of Republican policies, but he and his cronies get all testy when you talk about that part of his program.
So tell us, Dave, how did that little taste work out after you guys threw the presidency to Bush in 2000? We decent people thought it was pretty hideous, but you seem to think the problem is that the pain and suffering was not adequately severe and should be turned up to eleven - for people who are not David "I have a blog" Atkins, that is.