6 ways Eric Cantor's stunning defeat changes Washington: http://t.co/YflgLMYuSV pic.twitter.com/pFMCa04ILB
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) June 11, 2014
“In an upset for the ages, Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, the second-most powerful man in the House, was dethroned Tuesday by a little-known, tea party-backed Republican primary challenger carried to victory on a wave of public anger over calls for looser immigration laws,” reports the AP.
Cantor, viewed as a possible successor to House Speaker John Boehner, was taken down by a political novice with little money named Dave Brat. His win marked the biggest triumph this year for tea party supporters who until a few years ago backed Cantor, a former state legislator who rose to Majority Leader in 2011.
“Obviously we came up short,” Cantor told glum supporters at a suburban Richmond hotel, conceding the race with his wife, Diane, at his side.
"Truly stunning and all but unprecedented for a speaker-in-waiting." – @relving on the defeat of Eric Cantor http://t.co/NQwasrgGLs
— MPR Politics (@MPRpolitics) June 11, 2014
Today’s Question: Does Eric Cantor’s loss mean anything outside of Virginia and DC?