As you’re likely already aware, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) has lost in an upset to the Republican primary election to Tea Party challenger. As the majority leader, and possibly looking at a future as the house Speaker, Cantor has fallen a long, long way down — and what is the GOP going to do to replace his spot? Well, there are several contenders that will be fighting for the position, and if things get nasty, it’s likely other high-ranking Republicans will join the battle, starting off a round of infighting during the 2014 election cycle. Replacing Cantor after his upset might not be all that easy.
The reason for Cantor’s loss? Well, it’s likely just low turnout — and Democrats have an excellent chance of winning the district in November. They hadn’t even fielded a primary candidate because Cantor’s victory was considered so much of a foregone conclusion. However, the district is left-leaning, and although Cantor lost because he isn’t conservative enough, that was with only 12 percent of the electorate actually voting. That means just over six percent of people voting could have picked the candidate, which isn’t exactly ideal democracy.
Nobody expected Cantor to lose. Not even the Tea Party, in fact. Cantor far outspent his opponent and had establishment support. David Brat’s campaign was largely alone; no large Tea Party groups backed him. His main support came from conservative media sources. The resulting upset has the GOP scrambling. According to the?New York Times,?top ranking Republicans called a meeting of all GOP members just hours after the upset victory was declared, looking to settle the matter of House leadership. As of right now, Pete Sessions (R-TX), chairman of the House Rules Committee, and Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the majority whip and number three-ranking Republican in the House (behind Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor), seem to be the most likely choices. The are a couple of wild cards, but for now it appears battle lines are being drawn and sides are being chosen.
This will split the Tea Party caucus in half. Many of the Tea Party representatives that made their way into Congress in 2010 are from Texas, and the Texas delegation will certain be supporting Rep. Sessions. However, McCarthy was at the front of candidate recruitment during 2010, and is one of the main forces behind gerrymandered districts and a House that does little to represent the desires of the American people.
House GOP are looking to wrap the race up quickly, before July 4, which favors Rep. McCarthy. The longer the race drags on, the nastier it could get. Also, time increases the likelihood that other high-ranking House GOP members would be pulled into the fight. Here’s to it lasting until November!
I’m a millennial with an attitude, and I’m tired of a left wing that has stopped being willing to rise up and fight for the rights of the people. In my short career, I’ve published hundreds of articles on many topics. You can follow me on Google Plus, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or?Instagram.
