Immigration was a major issue in Dave Brat’s successful campaign against House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Specifically, Cantor supports amnesty; Brat opposes it.
Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer says Brat’s victory tonight ensures “immigration reform” (by which he means amnesty, though he doesn’t call it that) is dead in the water.
PowerLine agrees:
Cantor’s defeat is all about immigration. A vast gulf has opened up between certain Republican leaders, like Cantor and Paul Ryan, who seemingly are doing the bidding of corporate interests that would like to drive down wages, and the Republican rank and file.
So does The New Republic:
The immediate policy implications of this are clear: Immigration reform is completely dead. It was a very longshot before Tuesday night. Now, it’s 100 percent over. Cantor’s loss shows how toxic the subject is for any incumbent Republican.
And Miami Herald political writer Marc Caputo:
The No. 2 Republican in the U.S. House is a goner.
And amid the ashes of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s shocking defeat Tuesday, comprehensive immigration reform smolders.
And countless others on both Left and Right:
Cantor losing makes immigration reform seem near impossible this year — there will be a panic after this
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) June 11, 2014
Does Cantor's loss completely end the chance of immigration reform in this Congress? Surely it has: http://t.co/V6QGUhCec5
— Andrew Sullivan (@sullydish) June 11, 2014
Cantor losing makes immigration reform seem near impossible this year — there will be a panic after this
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) June 11, 2014
Cantor loss will be analyzed every which way but those R's who engage immigration reform must be seen at risk.
— Nina Easton (@NinaEaston) June 11, 2014
All the Democrats cheering Eric Cantor's primary results should realize this means immigration reform is essentially dead.
— Chris (@forewit) June 10, 2014
If Cantor goes down, so does immigration reform.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) June 10, 2014
Amnesty supporters are spinning. Hard:
Some media reading Cantor defeat as all about immigration. Huh? He wasn't for immigration. He wasn't against it. He was on undefined fence
— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) June 11, 2014
Cantor's problem wasn't his position on immigration reform, it was his lack of a position. Graham wrote and passed a bill and is winning big
— Jason Goldman (@Goldman44) June 11, 2014
Even Cantor with an anti-immigrant position lost for not being extreme enough. Bad news for immigration reform and for the GOP in 2016
— JORGE RAMOS (@jorgeramosnews) June 11, 2014
“Anti-immigrant”? Cantor? Um…
Cantor relentneess in push for amnesty for illegal alien youth
Days from primary, Eric Cantor poses as anti-amnesty warrior
Bless their Open Borders hearts.
Related:
Left pivots from ‘Tea Party is dead’ to ‘Tea Party hates Jews’ after Cantor loses
Eric Cantor’s awesomely accurate internal poll had him up 34 points over Dave Brat
Editor’s note: This post was edited to correct the name of Miami Herald political writer Marc (not Eric) Caputo. Twitchy regrets the error.
