Esther Yu-Hsi Lee — The Real Reason Eric Cantor Lost

Looks like this may have been more a vote against Cantor than a vote for Brat, at least among many conservative purists.

There hasn’t been much support that immigration reform determined the outcome of the primary race between Cantor and Brat. What’s more likely was party politics unseated Cantor. The Huffington Post noted that “Cantor was often the necessary link that bridged leadership and rank-and-file tea party members. ‘He’s the one guy everyone relies on to get things done for them,’ said one Cantor ally. Each time he twisted tea party arms, though, it cost him politically, raising suspicions among grassroots activists that Cantor was an impure conservative.” That sentiment was shared by the conservative-leaning Red State, which reported that Cantor “repeatedly antagonized conservatives.”

Think Progress
The Real Reason Eric Cantor Lost
Esther Yu-Hsi Lee