Virginia's 7th Congressional District special election, 2014
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November 4, 2014 |
June 10, 2014 |
David Brat  |
Eric Cantor |
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Cook Political Report: Solid Republican[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] |
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The 7th Congressional District of Virginia held a special election for the U.S. House on November 4, 2014. The special election was held to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Rep. Eric Cantor.[3]
David Brat, an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College, defeated his colleague Jack Trammell (D), who is also a professor at Randolph-Macon, in the special election and the regular election. He joined Congress on November 12, 2014.[4]
Brat defeated incumbent Eric Cantor, who was the second-highest ranking Republican in the House at the time, in the Republican primary on June 10, 2014.[5] The defeat caused Cantor to resign as House Majority Leader on July 31, 2014, and to resign from the House on August 18, 2014.[3]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Virginia utilizes an open primary process in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[6][7]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Voter registration: Voters had to register to vote in the primary by February 10, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 14, 2014 (22 days before election).[8]
- See also: Virginia elections, 2014
Incumbent: Eric Cantor (R) was first elected in 2000.
Virginia's 7th Congressional District is located in the central portion of the state. The district includes Culpeper, Goochland, Hanover, Louisa, New Kent, and Orange counties. Portions of Chesterfield, Henrico, and Spotsylvania counties, as well as portions of Richmond city, are located in the district.[9]
Candidates
Failed to file
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  David Brat |
61.7% | 148,841 | |
| Democratic | Jack Trammell | 37.8% | 91,236 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.5% | 1,236 | |
| Total Votes | 241,313 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
Race background
Special election request
Former Rep. Eric Cantor, who resigned from the House of Representatives on August 18, asked Gov. Terry McAuliffe to call a special election for his district that coincided with the general election on November 4.[3] Voters in Virginia's 7th District cast two votes -- one to fill the remaining two months of Cantor's term and one to fill the two-year term beginning in January. Election officials in Virginia were worried that having two sets of names on the ballot would confuse voters, especially those casting absentee ballots. Henrico County registrar Mark Coakley said, “I would hate for someone overseas to get a ballot thinking we misprinted it and send it back."[12]
Signature-filing deadline
After Gov. Terry McAuliffe authorized the special election, third party candidates had 10 days to submit 1,000 signatures from registered voters to the State Board of Elections. Republican and Democratic candidates did not need to submit any signatures. Instead, David Brat (R) and Jack Trammell (D) were nominated by their local parties.[10][11] Libertarian James Carr submitted enough signatures to appear on the ballot for the regular election, but he did not submit the required number of signatures to appear on the special election ballot.[13]
Carr noted that the setback would not change his campaign strategy. He said, “Our entire approach has been to get out and talk to as many people as possible. The only thing that is going to change is we’re going to have to illustrate to voters that they have an option to write me in.”[13]
Unprecedented loss
An unprecedented loss by Cantor gave him the distinction of being the first-ever sitting House Majority Leader to lose a primary bid.[14] The upset victory by Randolf-Macon College professor David Brat put Republicans in the U.S. House into a leadership scramble.
Cantor spent over $1 million dollars in the last month of the election, compared to Brat, who barely raised $100,000 during the entire primary campaign, according to FEC filings.
After his defeat, Cantor announced that he would step down as House Majority Leader.[15] Kevin McCarthy, former House Majority Whip, took over as House Majority Leader after Eric Cantor gave up the position on July 31, 2014.[16]
Cantor resignation
Cantor resigned from the House of Representatives on August 18, 2014, to avoid a lame-duck session. He asked Gov. Terry McAuliffe to call a special election for his district that coincided with the general election on November 4 so that the winner could take office immediately, rather than waiting to start in January with the 114th Congress.[3]
Cantor explained his early resignation, saying, “I want to make sure that the constituents in the 7th District will have a voice in what will be a very consequential lame-duck session.”[3] Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said while Cantor's resignation was a “generous gesture,” his motivation may not have been purely altruistic. “It’s highly probable that he has a very lucrative deal in the works for his post-Congress life, and he’s eager to get started,” said Sabato.[3]
Cantor's defeat in the June 10, 2014, Republican primary set off the following chain of events:
- June 10, 2014: Brat defeated Cantor, making him the first-ever sitting House Majority Leader to lose a primary bid.
- June 11, 2014: Cantor announced that he would step down as House Majority Leader.
- July 31, 2014: Cantor officially resigned as House Majority Leader and announced his resignation from Congress, effective August 18, 2014.
- August 18, 2014: Cantor resigned from Congress.
- November 4, 2014: A special election that coincided with the general election was held in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.
Campaign contributions
Jack Trammell
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Trammell's reports.[17]
| Jack Trammell (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| July Quarterly[18] | July 15, 2014 | $0.00 | $155,003.13 | $(13,803.78) | $141,199.35 | ||||
| October Quarterly[19] | October 15, 2014 | $141,199.35 | $280,840.41 | $(146,109.73) | $275,930.03 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $435,843.54 | $(159,913.51) | ||||||||
David Brat
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Brat's reports.[20]
| David Brat (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[21] | April 15, 2014 | $0.00 | $89,610.53 | $(47,192.85) | $42,417.68 | ||||
| July Quarterly[22] | July 15, 2014 | $86,179.32 | $401,705.05 | $(269,011.32) | $218,873.05 | ||||
| October Quarterly[23] | October 15, 2014 | $218,873.05 | $551,879.57 | $(342,383.10) | $428,369.52 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $1,043,195.15 | $(658,587.27) | ||||||||
District history
| Candidate ballot access |
|---|
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| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
2012
The 7th Congressional District of Virginia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Eric Cantor won re-election in the district.[24]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | E. Wayne Powell | 41.4% | 158,012 | |
| Republican | Eric Cantor Incumbent |
58.4% | 222,983 | |
| Write-In | N/A | 0.2% | 914 | |
| Total Votes | 381,909 | |||
| Source: Virginia State Board of Elections "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Eric Cantor won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Rick E. Waugh, Jr. (D) and Floyd C. Bayne (G) in the general election.[25]
| U.S. House, Virginia District 7 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Eric Cantor incumbent |
59.2% | 138,209 | |
| Democratic | Rick E. Waugh | 34.1% | 79,616 | |
| Green | Floyd C. Bayne | 6.5% | 15,164 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.2% | 413 | |
| Total Votes | 233,402 | |||
See also
- Special elections to the 113th United States Congress (2013-2014)
- United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
- United States Senate elections in Virginia, 2014
- Virginia elections, 2014
- June 11 congressional primary review: Only one incumbent lost, but it was a doozy
- House Majority Leader Cantor defeated in stunning upset
- Cantor announces resignation, effective August 18
- Virginia's 7th Congressional District elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR AUGUST 8, 2014," accessed August 21, 2014
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed August 21, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Cantor to resign from Congress Aug. 18," accessed August 1, 2014
- ↑ Roanoke.com, "Dave Brat defeats Jack Trammell to win 7th District seat," accessed November 10, 2014
- ↑ Associated Press, "Virginia - Summary Vote Results," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections,"Casting a Ballot," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections Website, "Become a Registered Voter," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Facebook, "David Brat for Congress," August 13, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Washington Times, "As Eric Cantor steps down, Virginia election officials worry about voter confusion," accessed August 19, 2014
- ↑ Washington Times, "As Eric Cantor steps down, Virginia election officials worry about voter confusion," accessed August 19, 2014
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 StyleWeekly.com, "Libertarian Plans Legal Action to Seek Ballot Access," accessed August 19, 2014
- ↑ MSNBC, "Eric Cantor loses GOP primary to tea party challenger Dave Brat," June 10, 2014
- ↑ CNN, "Eric Cantor dropping leadership post, calls loss 'personal setback'," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ Fox News, "California Rep. Kevin McCarthy selected as new House majority leader," June 19, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Trammell 2014 Summary reports," accessed October 23, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed October 23, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed October 23, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Brat 2014 Summary reports," accessed April 29, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed April 29, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed October 23, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed October 23, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Virginia," accessed November 13, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
