One-time fundraising all-star Eric Cantor has been left in a humiliating position after his loss to Republican upstart Dave Brat, needing to raise money to pay back donors who contributed to his general election campaign.
Cantor, who lost his district’s Republican primary in early June, spent money designated for the general election during his campaign against Brat. Now that he won’t be running in the general, federal law requires that he pay those donors back — and his staff is reaching out to other Republican congressmen for help. (RELATED: Eric Cantor Defeated By Conservative Challenger David Brat)
Cantor’s deputy chief of staff confirmed that members of Cantor’s staff have reached out to fellow lawmakers for donations, although he noted that Cantor hasn’t yet made any asks himself. (RELATED: Cantor, McCarthy Hit Fundraising Circuit On Behalf Of GOP Freshmen)
Cantor outspent Brat by a dramatic margin, with The New York Times memorably noting that in 2013 he spent more at steakhouse fundraising events than Brat had on his entire campaign. Between January 2013 and May 2014, Cantor had spent nearly $5 million — literally forty times as much as Brat.
Cantor will be replaced as House majority leader by California Representative Kevin McCarthy on July 31. He has represented Virginia’s 7th District since 2001, and will remain in office until the end of the 113th Congress on January 3, 2015.