Cantor Campaign: Internal Poll Showed 34-Point Lead Over Tea Partier

DANIEL STRAUSS – JUNE 10, 2014, 8:44 PM EDT

An internal poll by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's (R-VA) re-election campaign had him with a 34-point lead over primary opponent economics professor David Brat.

The poll, conducted by John McLaughlin of McLaughlin & Associates between May 27 and May 28 found Cantor with 62 percent to Brat with 28 percent, according to The Washington Post on Friday.

Cantor lost to Brat on Tuesday. With 90 percent of precincts reporting Brat defeated Cantor 55.4 percent to 44.6 percent. It was perhaps the biggest upset of any primary contest in the 2014 election cycle.

Brat ran a tea party challenge against Cantor focused on immigration. But Brat's candidacy didn't get much national attention or attention from the most prominent outside groups that have boosted conservative challenges to incumbent Republican lawmakers.

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/eric-cantor-david-brat-challenger-tea-party-internal-poll

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Cantor Concession Speech: 'Obviously We Came Up Short'

DANIEL STRAUSS – JUNE 10, 2014, 8:37 PM EDT

In his concession speech shortly after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) was defeated in the Republican primary for Virginia's 7th Congressional District the top House Republican was brutally honest.

"Obviously we came up short," Cantor said. With 83 percent reporting and the race called against Cantor tea party challenger David Brat had 55.4 percent to Cantor with 44.6 percent of the vote.

"I know there's a lot of long faces here tonight and it's disappointing, sure," Cantor continued. "But I believe in this country, I believe there's opportunity around the next corner for all of us. So I look forward to continue to fight with all of you for the things that we believe in for the conservative cause because those solutions of ours are the answers to the problems that so many people are facing today."

The closest historical analogy is Tom Foley, a sitting House Speaker who lost re-election in 1994. Prior to that, the last sitting speaker was Galusha A. Grow in 1862.

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/cantor-on-loss-obviously-we-came-up-short