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==Controversies==
==Controversies==
===2008 presidential election===
===2008 presidential election===
In August 2008 news reports surfaced that Cantor was being considered as [[John McCain]]'s [[Vice President]]ial [[running mate]], with McCain's representatives seeking documents from Cantor as part of its vetting process.<ref>Rosenbluth, Susan, [http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com/EricCantor.html "Eric Cantor: He’s Young, He’s Conservative, He’s against Dividing Jerusalem, and John McCain’s Considering Him for VP"], ''Jewish Voice and Opinion'', August, 2008.</ref><ref>Lewis, Bob, via [[Associated Press]]. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080803/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_cantor "In veep search, McCain asks Cantor for records"], ''[[Yahoo! News]]'', August 3, 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Rep. Cantor Under Closer McCain Scrutiny for Veep|publisher=[[Fox News Channel]]|date=August 2, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-03|url=http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/02/mccain-campaign-asks-rep-cantor-for-personal-records/}}</ref> However, in May 2009, a source who claimed affiliation with the [[John McCain presidential campaign, 2008|McCain campaign]] denied those reports, calling them "a complete and total joke", and blaming "Cantor’s PR people" for being responsible for the false reports.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Myth of Cantor’s Vetting |publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=May 5, 2009|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/nationalaffairs/index.php/2009/05/05/the-myth-of-cantors-vetting/|first=Tim|last=Dickinson}}</ref> Additionally, a book by [[Washington Post]] reporters [[Dan Balz]] and [[Haynes Johnson]] outlining the McCain campaign does not mention Cantor as one of the possible running mates considered by McCain.<ref>http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/276933</ref>
In August 2008 news reports surfaced that Cantor was being considered as [[John McCain]]'s [[Vice President]]ial [[running mate]], with McCain's representatives seeking documents from Cantor as part of its vetting process.<ref>Rosenbluth, Susan, [http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com/EricCantor.html "Eric Cantor: He’s Young, He’s Conservative, He’s against Dividing Jerusalem, and John McCain’s Considering Him for VP"], ''Jewish Voice and Opinion'', August, 2008.</ref><ref>Lewis, Bob, via [[Associated Press]]. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080803/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_cantor "In veep search, McCain asks Cantor for records"], ''[[Yahoo! News]]'', August 3, 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Rep. Cantor Under Closer McCain Scrutiny for Veep|publisher=[[Fox News Channel]]|date=August 2, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-03|url=http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/02/mccain-campaign-asks-rep-cantor-for-personal-records/}}</ref> While the nomination details have been kept private by Senator McCain and therefore not verifiable, several conservative and grassroots organizations supported Cantor's nomination for Vice President.<ref>{{cite web|title=Evangelical Leader Warns McCain on VP Pick|publisher=[[CBS News]]|date=August 8, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-03|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/08/politics/politicalplayers/main4331863.shtml}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Eric Cantor for Vice President?|publisher=[[Washington Times]]|date=August 6, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-03|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/06/eric-cantor-for-vice-president/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Eric Cantor for Vice President?|publisher=[[Weekly Standard]]|date=June 11, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-03|url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/06/eric_cantor_for_vp_1.asp}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Eric Cantor for Vice President|publisher=[[Red State]]|date=August 27, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-03|url=http://www.redstate.com/the_directors/2008/08/27/eric-cantor-vice-president/}}</ref>

The idea for Cantor to be McCain's running mate was supported by conservative leader [[Richard Land]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Evangelical Leader Warns McCain on VP Pick|publisher=[[CBS News]]|date=August 8, 2008|accessdate=2008-08-03|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/08/politics/politicalplayers/main4331863.shtml}}</ref>


===Campaign office incident===
===Campaign office incident===

Revision as of 03:33, 3 April 2010

The Honorable
Eric Cantor
23rd Minority Whip of the United States House of Representatives
Assumed office
January 3, 2009
Preceded byRoy Blunt
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 7th District
Assumed office
January 3, 2001
Preceded byTom Bliley
Member of the
Virginia House of Delegates
from the 73rd District
In office
January 1992 – January 3, 2001
Preceded byWalter A. Stosch
Succeeded byJohn O'Bannon
Personal details
Born (1963-06-06) June 6, 1963 (age 61)
Richmond, Virginia
Political partyRepublican
SpouseDiana Fine Cantor
ResidenceRichmond, Virginia
Alma materGeorge Washington University
William & Mary's Marshall-Wythe School of Law
Columbia University
ProfessionAttorney
real estate executive[1]

Eric Ivan Cantor (pronounced /ˈkæntɔr/; born June 6, 1963) is a representative of Virginia's 7th congressional district. The district includes most of the northern and western sections of Richmond, along with most of Richmond's western suburbs and portions of the Shenandoah Valley.

On November 19, 2008, he was unanimously elected Republican Whip for the 111th United States Congress after serving as chief deputy whip for the previous six years. Cantor is currently the only Jewish Republican in the United States Congress.[2][3][4]

Early life and education

Cantor was born in Richmond, Virginia. He was graduated from the Collegiate School in 1981, earned a baccalaureate at George Washington University (where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity) in 1985[5] and a juris doctorate from William & Mary Law School in 1988, and received a master of science degree from Columbia University in 1989.[2]

Cantor met his wife, Diana Marcy Fine, on a blind date; they were married in 1989.[3][6][7]

Early career

As a freshman at George Washington University in 1981, Cantor worked as an intern for House Republican Tom Bliley of Virginia and was Bliley's driver in the 1982 campaign.[8]

Cantor worked for over a decade with his family's small business doing legal work and real estate development.

He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1992–January 1, 2001.[2] At various times he was a member of committees on Science and Technology, Corporation Insurance and Banking, General Laws, Courts of Justice, (co-chairman) Claims.[7][9]

Congress

Cantor was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, filling the seat from which Tom Bliley was retiring.

During his first term, Cantor was Chairman of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare. He has also served on the House Financial Services Committee and on the House International Relations Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.

In 2002, Roy Blunt appointed him chief deputy Republican whip, the highest appointed position in the Republican caucus.[2]

In the 2002 election, Cantor defeated Democratic challenger Ben "Cooter" Jones, who starred on the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard.[10][11]

In the 2006 election, Cantor defeated Jim Nachman, the Democratic nominee, and Independent candidate Dr. Brad Blanton. Cantor received 63.85% of the votes.[12]

On September 29, 2009 Cantor blamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for what he felt was the failure of the $700 billion economic bailout bill. He noted that 94 Democrats voted against the measure, as well as 133 Republicans.[13] He referred to Pelosi's proposal to appoint a Car czar to run the U.S. Automobile Industry Bailout as "an unneeded 'bureaucratic' imposition on private business".[14]

In November 2008, Cantor was re-elected to Congress. On November 19, 2008, he was unanimously elected Republican Whip for the 111th United States Congress.[4]

In February 2009, Cantor led Republicans in the House of Representatives in voting against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009[15] and was a prominent spokesman in voicing the many issues he and his fellow Republicans had with the legislation. Cantor voted in favor of a 90% marginal tax rate increase on taxpayer financed bonuses,[16] despite receiving campaign contributions from TARP recipient Citigroup.[17]

Position on Israel

Cantor supports strong United States-Israel relations.[2][5] He cosponsored legislation to cut off all U.S. taxpayer aid to the Palestinian Authority and another bill calling for an end to taxpayer aid to the Palestinians until they stop unauthorized excavations on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.[18] Responding to a claim by the State Department that the United States provides no direct aid to the Palestinian Authority, Cantor claimed that United States sends about US$75 million in aid annually to the Palestinian Authority, which is administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Cantor has also claimed that Congress approved a three-year package of US$400 million in aid for the Palestinian Authority in 2000. He has also introduced legislation to end aid to Palestinians.[19]

In May 2008, Cantor said that the relationship America has with Israel is "a constant reminder of the greatness of America."[20]

In November 2008, following Barack Obama's election as President, Cantor stated that a “stronger U.S.-Israel relationship” remains a top priority for him and that he would be “very outspoken” if Obama "did anything to undermine those ties."[21]

Personal life

The Cantors have three children, Evan, Jenna, and Michael. Mrs. Cantor's mother, Barbara Fine, lives and manages the cooking and shopping in the Cantor household, which is kosher.[6]

Mrs. Cantor is a lawyer and certified public accountant. She founded, and from 1996 until 2008 was executive director of, the Virginia College Savings Plan (an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia.) She was also chairman of the board of the College Savings Plans Network.[6][22][23] Mrs. Cantor is a Managing Director in a division of Emigrant Bank, a subsidiary of New York Private Bank & Trust Corp. [24]

Controversies

2008 presidential election

In August 2008 news reports surfaced that Cantor was being considered as John McCain's Vice Presidential running mate, with McCain's representatives seeking documents from Cantor as part of its vetting process.[25][26][27] While the nomination details have been kept private by Senator McCain and therefore not verifiable, several conservative and grassroots organizations supported Cantor's nomination for Vice President.[28][29][30][31]

Campaign office incident

After the passage of the health care reform bill in March of 2010, Cantor reported that somebody had shot a bullet through a window of his campaign office in Richmond, Virginia. Cantor responded to this by saying that Democratic leaders in the House should stop "dangerously fanning the flames" by blaming Republicans for threats against House Democrats such as Tom Perriello and Bart Stupak who voted for the health care legislation.[32]

A spokesman for the Richmond Police later stated that the bullet was not intentionally fired at Cantor's office, saying that it was instead random gunfire, as there were no signs outside the office identifying the office as being Cantor's.[33] Ballistic tests indicated that the bullet was fired into the air and hit the office window going down. The bullet landed within a foot of the window.[34]

Cantor also reported that he had received threatening e-mails related to the passage of the bill, but he declined to hand over copies of the e-mails, saying that doing so would encourage similar activity.[35]

Threats against Cantor's life

On March 29, 2010, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania man was indicted in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on two charges for threats he made against Cantor and his family in a YouTube video. The defendant, Norman Leboon, stated in the since removed video:

My Congressman Eric Cantor, and you and your cupcake evil wife. Remember Eric...our judgment time, the final Yom Kippur has been given. You are a liar, you're a Lucifer, you're a pig, a greedy fucking pig, you're an abomination, you receive my bullets in your office, remember they will be placed in your heads. You and your children are Lucifer's abominations.

The charges against Leboon carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000.[36]

Electoral history

Virginia's 7th congressional district: Results 2000–2006[37]
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct
2000 Warren A. Stewart 94,935 33% Eric Cantor 192,652 67% *
2002 Ben L. "Cooter" Jones 49,854 30% Eric Cantor 113,658 69% *
2004 (no candidate) Eric Cantor 230,765 75% W. Brad Blanton Independent 74,325 24% *
2006 James M. Nachman 88,206 34% Eric Cantor 163,706 64% W. Brad Blanton Independent 4,213 2% *
2008[38][39] Anita Hartke 138,123 37% Eric Cantor 233,531 63%
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2000, write-ins received 304 votes. In 2002, write-ins received 153 votes. In 2004, write-ins received 568 votes. In 2006, write-ins received 272 votes.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Eric I Cantor." Carroll's Federal Directory. Carroll Publishing, 2008. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Document Number: K2415002547. Fee. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barone, Michael (2008). The Almanac of American Politics. Washington, D.C.: National Journal Group and Atlantic Media Company. pp. 1681–1683. ISBN 9780892341177. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b Roig-Franzia, Manuel (11 December 2008). "The Pathfinder: New House Whip Eric Cantor Aims to be the GOP's Out-of-the-Wilderness Gude". Washington Post. pp. C1, C4. Retrieved 2008-12-14. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ a b Cantor elected minority whip by Eric Fingerhut, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, November 19, 2008 (retrieved on February 5, 2009).
  5. ^ a b Bacalis, Lauren (10/7/02). "Students campaign for GW alumnus". GW Hatchet. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 2008-12-14. Ten College Republicans, four Phi Sigma Kappa members and two pro-Israel students traveled to Richmond, Va. early Saturday morning to campaign for Cantor. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ a b c Yearwood, Pauline Dubkin (Fall 2003). "Diana Cantor: Helping Families Finance College". Jewish Woman. Washington, D.C.: Jewish Women International. Archived from the original on 2003-09-11. Retrieved 2008-12-14. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ a b "Eric I. Cantor." Marquis Who's Who TM. Marquis Who's Who, 2009. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Document Number: K2013384111. Retrieved 14 December 2008. Fee.
  8. ^ Barnes, Fred. " Virginia's Eric Cantor has risen fast-and the sky's the limit.", The Weekly Standard, October 1, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2008. "As a freshman at George Washington University in 1981, Cantor worked as an intern for House Republican Tom Bliley of Virginia and was Bliley's driver in the 1982 campaign. After GW, Cantor got a law degree at William & Mary (1988) and a master's in real estate management from Columbia University."
  9. ^ "Historical Bio for Eric I. Cantor". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved 2008-12-14. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ "Republicans projected to retain House".
  11. ^ "November 5, 2002 General Election Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2008-12-14. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  12. ^ "November 7, 2006 General Election Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2008-12-14. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ "Richmond's Entertainment, News, and Community Resource - inRich.com". Inrich.com. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  14. ^ Rogers, David (December 11, 2008). "Bailout backers try to make a deal". Politico.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14. Yet in the House debate across the Capitol, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) derided the czar as an unneeded "bureaucratic" imposition on private business. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/the-sunday-word-sifting-through-the-stimulus/?scp=4&sq=eric%20cantor&st=cse
  16. ^ "House Approves 90% Tax on Bonuses After Bailouts". The New York Times. March 19, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  17. ^ "Follow the Bailout Cash". Newsweek. March 21, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  18. ^ Jewish minyan grows in Senate; Jew elected to House, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, November 8, 2002.
  19. ^ "Bush waives law forbidding U.S. aid to PLO".
  20. ^ "GOP hits Obama over Israel".
  21. ^ What is the future for Republican Jews? by Eric Fingerhut, November 25, 2008 (retrieved on February 5, 2009).
  22. ^ Cantor, Diana F. (June 2, 2004). "Testimony of Diana F. Cantor before the House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises" (PDF). House Committee on Financial Services. Retrieved 2008-12-14. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  23. ^ Cox, Kirk (February 11, 2008). "HJ382: Commending Diana F. Cantor". Retrieved 2008-12-14. Diana F. Cantor will step down from her position in 2008, having served the Commonwealth since April 24, 1996, as the outstanding founding executive director of the Virginia Higher Education Tuition Trust Fund, subsequently renamed the Virginia College Savings Plan... {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help) 02/15/2008 Agreed to by Senate by voice vote.
  24. ^ Roston, Aram (January 23, 2009). "Bank Employing GOP House Leader's Wife Got Bailout Bucks". House Committee on Financial Services. Retrieved 2009-03-25. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  25. ^ Rosenbluth, Susan, "Eric Cantor: He’s Young, He’s Conservative, He’s against Dividing Jerusalem, and John McCain’s Considering Him for VP", Jewish Voice and Opinion, August, 2008.
  26. ^ Lewis, Bob, via Associated Press. "In veep search, McCain asks Cantor for records", Yahoo! News, August 3, 2008.
  27. ^ "Rep. Cantor Under Closer McCain Scrutiny for Veep". Fox News Channel. August 2, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  28. ^ "Evangelical Leader Warns McCain on VP Pick". CBS News. August 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  29. ^ "Eric Cantor for Vice President?". Washington Times. August 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  30. ^ "Eric Cantor for Vice President?". Weekly Standard. June 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  31. ^ "Eric Cantor for Vice President". Red State. August 27, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  32. ^ Kelley, Matt (March 24, 2010). "Rep. Cantor reports bullet hit campaign office". ONPOLITICS. USA Today. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  33. ^ Kumar, Anita (March 26, 2010). "Police say gunfire that hit Cantor's office was random". Virginia Politics Blog. The Washington Post. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  34. ^ "Richmond Police Statement On Cantor Office: Vandalism". TPM Muckraker. March 25, 2010.
  35. ^ Pergram, Chad (March 25, 2010). "Cantor Says Campaign Office Was Shot At, Accuses Dems of Exploiting Threats". FOX News. Retrieved March 27, 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ "Philadelphia Man Charged With Threatening to Kill House Minority Whip Cantor". FOX News. March 29, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  37. ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  38. ^ "2008 Election Results: Pennsylvania to Wyoming". Boston Globe. November 2008.
  39. ^ "November 2008 Official Results". "Virginia State Board of Elections". November 2008.
U.S. House of Representatives

Template:USRepSuccession box

U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Representatives by seniority
208th 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by
Roy Blunt
Missouri
 Chief Deputy Republican Whip
2003–2009 		Succeeded by
Kevin McCarthy
California
House Republican Whip
2009–present 		Incumbent
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