Virginia GOP candidate Dave Brat looks for balance.

In the three months since Virginia Republican David Brat stunned the political world and defeated then-House majority leader Eric Cantor, he has figured out quickly that it’s not easy being the front-runner and a darling of the tea party all at once.

The balance between cultivating his national profile and impressing local Rotary clubs is especially important given Cantor’s reputation for being out of touch, which contributed to his ouster.

Brat’s critics say he lost his outsider credibility as soon as he hired a high-powered Republican consultant. They have labeled him a hypocrite for shying away from debates not long after dinging Cantor for the same behavior.

But in a conservative district stretching from suburban Richmond north to the rural Shenandoah Valley, Brat is favored to win the seat and join Congress in an enviable spot: a freshman with a David-and-Goliath narrative and national name recognition. . .

“Talking to the think tank folks and the political folks is exciting,” he said. “If I get to Congress, I want to use my economics background and go straight to [the] American people and tell them what the numbers are about the federal budget and entitlements.”

In the district, Brat has mostly kept a low profile, meeting with civic groups and businesses organizations receptive to the message that resonated during the primary: Reduce the debt and deficit, stop illegal immigration and repeal the Affordable Care Act. . .

Yet Brat, who has promised to serve a maximum of 12 years in Congress, has taken heat from his opponents Democrat Jack Trammell and Libertarian James Carr, who call it ironic that Brat has turned down several chances to debate them.

“What a difference a primary makes,” Trammell said in a phone interview Friday. “A few short months ago, Brat was the outsider, and he was demanding debates. Now he’s the front-runner and he’s refusing formal debate.”


http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/virginia-gop-candidate-dave-brat-looks-for-balance/2014/09/27/9f063838-457d-11e4-9a15-137aa0153527_story.html