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Eric Cantor

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Eric Cantor
Official Congressional portrait
27th Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2011
SpeakerJohn Boehner
WhipKevin McCarthy
Preceded bySteny Hoyer
23rd Minority Whip of the United States House of Representatives
In office
January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011
DeputyKevin McCarthy
LeaderJohn Boehner
Preceded byRoy Blunt
Succeeded bySteny Hoyer
Republican Chief Deputy Whip
In office
2003–2009
WhipRoy Blunt
Preceded byRoy Blunt
Succeeded byKevin McCarthy
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 7th District
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2001
Preceded byTom Bliley
Member of the
Virginia House of Delegates
from the 73rd District
In office
January 1992 – January 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
The College of William & Mary Law School
Columbia University
ProfessionAttorney
real estate executive[1]
WebsiteHouse website
Majority Leader website

Eric Ivan Cantor (pronounced /ˈkæntɔr/; born June 6, 1963) is the U.S. Representative for Virginia's 7th congressional district, serving since 2001. A member of the Republican Party, he became House Majority Leader when the 112th Congress convened on January 3, 2011. He previously served as House Minority Whip from 2008 to 2011.

His 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. Cantor is the only Jewish Republican currently serving in Congress.

Early life, education and career

Cantor was born in Richmond, Virginia. His father owned a real estate firm and was the state treasurer for Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign.[3] Cantor graduated from the Collegiate School in 1981. He enrolled at George Washington University (GW) in 1981, and as a freshman he worked as an intern for House Republican Tom Bliley of Virginia and was Bliley's driver in the 1982 campaign.[4] Cantor was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity while at GW and received his Bachelor of Arts in 1985[5] He earned a Juris Doctor degree from William & Mary Law School in 1988, and received a master of science degree from Columbia University in 1989.[2]

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

Virginia House of Delegates

Cantor 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.[6][7] Cantor announced on March 14, 2000 that he would seek the seat in the United States House of Representatives that was being vacated by Tom Bliley. Cantor had chaired Bliley's reelection campaigns for the previous six years, and immediately gained the support of Bliley's political organization, as well as Bliley's endorsement later in the primary.[8]

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

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.

Party leadership

In 2002, Roy Blunt appointed him Chief Deputy Republican Whip, the highest appointed position in the Republican caucus. He had been in Congress for only two years at the time.[9]

Cantor and other House and Senate leaders meeting with President Barack Obama in November 2010.

On November 19, 2008, Cantor was unanimously elected Republican Whip for the 111th Congress, after serving as deputy whip for six years under his predecessor, Roy Blunt. Blunt had decided not to seek reelection to the post after Republican losses in the previous two elections. Cantor was the first member of either party from Virginia to hold the position of Party Whip. As Whip, Cantor was charged with coordinating the votes and messages of Republican House members.[9][10] Cantor became the Majority Leader when the 112th Congress took office on January 3, 2011.[11]

Cantor is a member of the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Republican National Committee. He is one of the Republican Party's top fundraisers, having raised over $30 million for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).[12] He is also one of the three founding members of the GOP Young Guns Program. In the fall of 2010, Cantor wrote a New York Times bestselling book, Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders, with the other two founding members of Young Guns.[13] They describe the vision outlined in the book as "a clear agenda based on common sense for the common good." [14]

Campaign office incident

After the passage of the health care reform bill in March 2010, Cantor reported that somebody had shot a bullet through a window of his campaign office in Richmond, Virginia. 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.[15] A preliminary investigation 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.[16] 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 who voted for the health care legislation.[17]

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.[18]

Political positions

Israel

As of December 2010, Cantor is the only Jewish Republican in the United States Congress.[2][10][19] He 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.[20] 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. He opposed a Congress-approved a three-year package of US$400 million in aid for the Palestinian Authority in 2000 and has also introduced legislation to end aid to Palestinians.[21]

In May 2008, Cantor said that the relationship America has with Israel is "a constant reminder of the greatness of America",[22] and following Barack Obama's election as President in November 2008, 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."[10][23] Shortly after the 2010 midterm elections, Cantor met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just before Netanyahu was to meet with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. According to Cantor's office, he "stressed that the new Republican majority will serve as a check on the Administration" and "made clear that the Republican majority understands the special relationship between Israel and the United States."[24] Cantor was criticized for engaging in foreign policy;[25] one basis for the criticism was that in 2007, after Nancy Pelosi met with the President of Syria, Cantor himself had raised the possibility "that her recent diplomatic overtures ran afoul of the Logan Act, which makes it a felony for any American 'without authority of the United States' to communicate with a foreign government to influence that government’s behavior on any disputes with the United States."[26]

Social issues

Cantor opposes public funding of embryonic stem cell research and opposes elective abortion. He is rated 100% by the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) and 0% by NARAL Pro-Choice America, indicating a pro-life voting record. He is also opposed to same-sex marriage, voting to Constitutionally define marriage as between a male and a female in 2006. In November 2007 he voted against prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. He also supports making flag burning illegal. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) rated him 19% in 2006, indicating an anti-affirmative action voting record. He is opposed to Gun Control, voting to ban product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers in 2005, and to ban gun registration and trigger-lock laws in the District of Columbia. He has a rating of "A" from the National Rifle Association (NRA).[27] On Nov. 2, 2010, Cantor told Wolf Blitzer of CNN that he would try to trim the federal deficit by reducing welfare.

Economy, budgeting, and trade

Cantor is a supporter of free trade, voting to promote trade with Peru, Chile, Singapore, and Australia. He also voted for the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). He voted against raising the minimum wage to US$ 7.25 in 2007. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest federation of trade unions in the United States, rates Cantor 0%, indicating an anti-Union voting record.

On September 29, 2009 Cantor blamed 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.[28] He referred to Pelosi's proposal to appoint a Car czar to run the U.S. Automobile Industry Bailout as a "bureaucratic" imposition on private business.[29]

The following February, Cantor led Republicans in the House of Representatives in voting against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009[30] 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,[31] despite receiving campaign contributions from TARP recipient Citigroup.[32]

Other foreign affairs

In an article he wrote for the National Review in 2007, he condemned Nancy Pelosi's diplomatic visit to Syria, and her subsequent meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, whom he referred to as a "dictator and terror-sponsor"; saying that if "Speaker Pelosi’s diplomatic foray into Syria weren’t so harmful to U.S. interests in the Middle East, it would have been laughable". He went on to further his point:

In one fell swoop, the Speaker legitimized and emboldened a ruthless thug whose unyielding support for terrorism has bogged down our attempts to bring stability and peace to the region at every step of the way. The excursion, condemned by most major newspapers, undoubtedly won Pelosi plaudits from her reflexively anti-Bush liberal base.[33]

Political campaigns

Cantor currently represents Virginia's 7th congressional district, which stretches from the western end of Richmond, through its suburbs, and northward to Page, Rappahannock and Culpepper counties. It also includes the towns of Mechanicsville and Laurel. The district trends Republican, electing three members of the party in a row to Congress since 1971, and voting for Republican candidates in the past three Presidential elections.[34]

2000

Cantor was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, filling the seat from which Tom Bliley was retiring. He defeated the Democratic nominee, by nearly 100,000 votes.[35] During his first term, he was one of only two Jewish Republicans in the House of Representatives, the other being Benjamin A. Gilman of New York, who had been the only Jewish Republican since the departure of S. William Green in 1992. Gilman retired in 2002 and Cantor has been the only Jewish Republican since.

2008 Vice Presidential speculation

See also: Republican Party (United States) vice presidential candidates, 2008

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.[36][37][38] However, in May 2009, a source who claimed affiliation with the 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.[39] 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.[40] The idea for Cantor to be McCain's running mate was supported by conservative leader Richard Land.[41]

2008

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2008 § District 7

Cantor won against Democratic nominee Anita Hartke.

2010

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2010 § District 7

Cantor won against Democratic challenger Rick Waugh, and Independent Green Tea Party candidate Floyd C. Bayne. Though he won with 59% of the vote, Cantor received the lowest vote percentage since taking the hill in 2000.[citation needed]

Electoral history

Virginia's 7th congressional district: Results 2000–2008[42]
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct Other 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[43][44] Anita Hartke 138,123 37% Eric Cantor 233,531 63%
2010 Rick Waugh 79,607 34% Eric Cantor 138,196 59% Floyd Bayne Independent Green 15,164 6% *
*Write-in 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. In 2008, write-ins received 683 votes. In 2010, write-ins received 413 votes.

In the 2002 election, Cantor defeated Democratic challenger Ben "Cooter" Jones, who starred on the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard.[45][46] Two years later, Cantor defeated Jim Nachman, the Democratic nominee, and Independent candidate Dr. Brad Blanton. Cantor received 63.85% of the votes.[47] More recently, in 2008, Cantor defeated Democrat Anita Hartke.[48]

Personal life

Cantor met his wife, Diana Marcy Fine, on a blind date; they were married in 1989.[6][19][49] They have three children: Evan, Jenna, and Michael.

Diana 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.[49][50][51] Mrs. Cantor is a Managing Director in a division of Emigrant Bank, a subsidiary of New York Private Bank & Trust Corp. [52]

Mrs. Cantor's mother, Barbara Fine, resides with the family and manages the cooking and shopping in the household, which is kosher.[49]

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 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. ^ Lauren Markoe (December 23, 2010). The Houston Chronicle. Religion News Service [Jewish groups have mixed feelings on Cantor Jewish groups have mixed feelings on Cantor]. Retrieved December 24, 2010. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ 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."
  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 "Eric I. Cantor." Marquis Who's Who, 2009. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008. Document Number: K2013384111. Retrieved 14 December 2008. Fee.
  7. ^ "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)
  8. ^ Whitley, Tyler (March 15, 2000). "Cantor Plans to Run for Congressional Seat". The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  9. ^ a b Simon, Neil H. (November 19, 2008). "Cantor named No. 2 Republican in U.S. House". The Richmond Times Dispatch. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  10. ^ a b c Fingerhut, Eric (November 18, 2008). "Cantor elected minority whip". Jewish Telegraph Agency. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  11. ^ Cantor, Eric (November 17, 2010). "Eric Cantor Elected Majority Leader For The 112th Congress". Office of the Minority Whip, US House of Representatives. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  12. ^ "Eric Cantor". The New York Times. pp. People. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  13. ^ Template:Cite article
  14. ^ Cantor, Eric (September 14, 2010). "Amazon.com: Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders". Threshold Editions. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "GOP Rep. Cantor Reports Threats". Wall Street Journal. March 25, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ Kelley, Matt (March 24, 2010). "Rep. Cantor reports bullet hit campaign office". ONPOLITICS. USA Today. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  18. ^ 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)
  19. ^ 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)
  20. ^ Samber, Sharon (November 8, 2002). "Jewish minyan grows in Senate; Jew elected to House". JWeekly. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  21. ^ Garrett, Major (April 17, 2002). "Bush waives law forbidding U.S. aid to PLO". Inside Politics. CNN. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  22. ^ Sweet, Lynn (May 12, 2008). "GOP hits Obama over Israel". The Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  23. ^ "Eric Cantor, the only Jewish Republican in Congress, to become majority leader", European Jewish Press, 3 November
  24. ^ Rozen, Laura (November 11, 2010), "Before Clinton meeting, Cantor's one-on-one with Bibi", Politico, retrieved 2010-11-15
  25. ^ Benen, Steve (November 13, 2010), "When the 'Water's Edge' Standard Disappears", The Washington Monthly, retrieved 2010-11-15
  26. ^ Cantor, Eric (April 10, 2007), "Assad's Speaker", National Review Online, retrieved 2010-11-15
  27. ^ "Eric Cantor on the Issues". On the Issues. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  28. ^ "Richmond's Entertainment, News, and Community Resource - inRich.com". Inrich.com. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  29. ^ 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)
  30. ^ Falcone, Michael (February 15, 2009). "The Sunday Word: Sifting Through the Stimulus". The Caucus. The New York Times. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  31. ^ Hulse, Carl; Herszenhorn, David M. (March 19, 2009). "House Approves 90% Tax on Bonuses After Bailouts". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  32. ^ "Follow the Bailout Cash". Newsweek. March 21, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  33. ^ Cantor, Eric (April 10, 2007). "Assad's Speaker". The National Review. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  34. ^ Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  35. ^ "2000 election results" (PDF). Clerk of the House. November 5, 2000. p. 65. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ Lewis, Bob, via Associated Press. "In veep search, McCain asks Cantor for records", Yahoo! News, August 3, 2008.
  38. ^ "Rep. Cantor Under Closer McCain Scrutiny for Veep". Fox News Channel. August 2, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  39. ^ Dickinson, Tim (May 5, 2009). "The Myth of Cantor's Vetting". Rolling Stone.
  40. ^ Moran, Matthew (August 3, 2009). "New book tells inside story of how McCain picked Palin". Digital Journal. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  41. ^ "Evangelical Leader Warns McCain on VP Pick". CBS News. August 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  42. ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  43. ^ "2008 Election Results: Pennsylvania to Wyoming". Boston Globe. November 2008.
  44. ^ "November 2008 Official Results". "Virginia State Board of Elections". November 2008.
  45. ^ "Republicans projected to retain House". Inside Politics. CNN. November 6, 2002. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  46. ^ "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)
  47. ^ "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) [dead link]
  48. ^ Stone, Andrea (November 5, 2008). "Election alters face of the South". USA Today. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  49. ^ 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)
  50. ^ 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)
  51. ^ 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.
  52. ^ 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)
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Media appearances

U.S. House of Representatives

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U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Representatives by seniority
169th 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by
Roy Blunt
Missouri
 Chief Deputy Republican Whip
2003–2009 		Succeeded by
Kevin McCarthy
California
House Minority Whip
2009–2011 		Succeeded by
Steny Hoyer
Maryland
Preceded by
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Maryland
 House Majority Leader
2011–present 		Incumbent

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