Tea Party Ousts Top Republican Eric Cantor

The second most powerful Republican in the US House of Representatives has suffered a shock primary election defeat to a Tea Party outsider.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who has been the Representative for Virginia's 7th district since 2001, lost to challenger David Brat.

The economics professor secured victory on a wave of public anger over calls for looser immigration laws, in one of the most stunning upsets in modern American politics.

He spent just $200,000 on his campaign, compared to Mr Cantor's $1m in April and May alone.

Mr Cantor's loss was the first primary setback for a leader in Congress in recent years.

The victory is a major success for the right-wing Tea Party movement, which advocates reducing government debt through spending cuts and opposes tax increases.

Last week, Tea Party supporters forced veteran Mississippi Republican Senator Thad Cochran into a June 24 runoff.

The result has sent shockwaves through American politics, which has been been subjected to periods of paralysis as a result of increasing polarisation.

Tea Party sympathisers delayed a deal on the country's budget last year that led to the US government shutdown.

Ever since he was elected, Mr Cantor was seen as a future star, being named chief deputy whip within a year of his election and becoming the highest-ranking Jewish Republican in Washington.

Eric Cantor is the second most powerful Republican after John Boehner (L)

After John Boehner became Speaker of the House in 2009, and the most senior Republican, Mr Cantor had been seen as both a likely eventual successor and potential rival.

Analysts said the result may well mark the end of Mr Cantor's political career and aides did not respond when asked if the 51-year-old would attempt to run in November's election anyway.

With votes counted in 99% of the precincts, Mr Cantor polled 28,631, compared with 37,369 in 2012, even though the number voting in 2014 increased by more than a third.

Mr Brat, a teacher at Randolph-Macon College, a small liberal arts school north of Richmond, said: "This is a miracle from God that just happened."

Conceding, Mr Cantor said: "Obviously we came up short."

It was unclear if Mr Cantor was intending to remain in his leadership post for the duration of the year.

The result has implications for policies being discussed at national level, with current immigration legislation likely to face a tougher challenge. 

Last Saturday, Democrats picked Jack Trammell as their nominee for the general election in the 7th District. He is an associate professor of sociology at Randolph-Macon College, the same school where Mr Brat teaches.

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