world

Stunning Defeat

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor
is ousted in primary.

Dmitriy Shapiro
JNS.org/
Washington Jewish Week

F

ollowing the June 10 primary
defeat of Rep. Eric Cantor — the
only Jewish Republican in the U.S.
House of Representatives and the House
majority leader — both non-partisan
Jewish groups and those on each side of
the political aisle say they are losing a
strong ally for their issues. Cantor was the
highest-ranking Jewish elected official in
the U.S. government.
"I've had the privilege to know and work
with Eric Cantor since his first days run-
ning for the House of Representatives:'
said Nathan Diament, executive direc-
tor for public policy at the Orthodox
Union. "He is a friend and [has] been a
critical partner for the advocacy work
of the Orthodox Jewish community on
issues ranging from Israel's security and
the security of Jewish institutions in the
United States, to religious liberty to edu-

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cational reform, and [the] opportunity to
defend the needs of the nonprofit sector:'
On the foreign policy front, the repre-
sentative for Virginia's 7th congressional
district is known for his unwavering
support for Israel and hardline stance
when it comes to the Iranian nuclear
issue. Matt Brooks, executive director of
the Republican Jewish Coalition, called
Cantor "an important pro-Israel voice in
the House and a leader on security issues,
including Iran sanctions:'
Cantor lost the primary to Tea Party
challenger Dave Brat by 11 percent. He has
held the congressional seat for 14 years —
first as minority whip and then as major-
ity leader, a position from which he plans
to step down on July 3 1 .
William Daroff, senior vice presi-
dent of public policy and director of
the Washington office of the Jewish
Federations of North America, said
Cantor's leadership was impactful on many
issues of importance to the Jewish com-
munity, including Israel, charitable tax
deductions and Holocaust survivor issues.

Jack Moline, executive
director of the National
Jewish Democratic Council,
said that despite Cantor's
high-ranking position in the
U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor
House, his exit would not
hurt Jewish interests.
district.
"There's no question that Cantor was
"It seems to me that it was a combina-
extremely strong in supporting Israel, but
tion of the politics around immigration
I don't think there is a problem with that
as well as some people suggesting that
in the Republican Party. I don't think his
he was very busy with his leadership role
absence is going to make a difference in
and wasn't tending to his home district as
terms of Republican support for Israel;
much as he needed to:' Diament said. "And
said Moline.
clearly, unfortunately, his campaign didn't
"On the question of our foreign policy
have a great handle on where they were in
outside of Israel, including Iran, there
the race:'
are other people in both the House and
Jewish Democratic activist Steve
the Senate, Republicans and Democrats,
Rabinowitz, head of the Washington, D.C.-
whose positions mirror those that Mr.
based public relations firm Rabinowitz
Cantor took:' he added.
Communications, said Cantor "ran an all-TV
Cantor's loss came as a surprise to
campaign and it should have been an all-
everyone — Cantor included. He had
ground game campaign:'
spent $4,867,298 on the race, while Brat
"He bought millions of dollars' worth of
spent just $122,792. Some analysts say
television ads when he should have bought
Cantor was defeated because of the per-
himself a ground game and a field organi-
ception that he had lost touch with his
zation:' said Rabinowitz.

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