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The Big Numbers Behind Eric Cantor's Failed Primary Bid

Following his defeat in the Virginia GOP primary Tuesday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor tells reporters he intends to resign his leadership post at the end of July.
J. Scott Applewhite
/
AP
Following his defeat in the Virginia GOP primary Tuesday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor tells reporters he intends to resign his leadership post at the end of July.

The big numbers are in from House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's stunning primary loss to Tea Party candidate David Brat.

First of all, the vote totals: 36,120 votes for Brat; 28,902 for Cantor.

Cash raised: Between the start of 2013 and May 21, 2014, Cantor raised $4.7 million. Brat raised a bit less than $207,000.

Drill down further in the campaign finance reports, and while the overall story doesn't change, telling details start to emerge. Some examples:

  • $133,000 — That's the difference between what Brat is expected to spend overall (about $225,000) and Cantor's spending on air travel alone this election cycle (about $358,000).
  • 63 percent — Portion of Cantor's cash pie that was spent on salaries, other overhead and raising more money. Fundraising accounted for $1.3 million of his spending.
  • $3,900 — Amount spent by the sole Tea Party group that made independent expenditures to help Brat: Our Country Deserves Better ran Internet ads. Data collected by the Center for Responsive Politics indicate it's the smallest of five IE outlays this election cycle by the PAC, which also goes by the name Tea Party Express. Brat also got help from Americans for Legal Immigration, a PAC that spent $900 on phone banks.
  • $366,330 — Total spent by five outside groups supporting Cantor: the American Chemistry Council, American College of Radiology PAC, National Association of Realtors PAC, National Rifle Association and Government Is Not God PAC.
  • 17 — Number of political action committees that gave to Cantor in the final 2 1/2 weeks of the race. Among them, the PACs for Time Warner Cable, Duke Energy, the health insurance industry, Merck and the wine industry. Total: $121,200.
  • 0 — Predictably, it's the number of PACs that threw in with Brat's below-the-radar campaign.
  • Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    Peter Overby has covered Washington power, money, and influence since a foresighted NPR editor created the beat in 1994.

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