Cantor loss doesn't mean party divided, says RNC chairman

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - Congressman Eric Cantor's primary loss to a little-known tea party challenger doesn't mean the Republican party is necessarily divided, according to the Republican National Committee chairman.

The House Majority leader lost his bid for re-election Tuesday in the Virginia primary. David Brat, a college professor, grabbed 7,218 more votes than Cantor for 55.55 percent of the total vote.

On Sunday, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus told CBS' Face the Nation that he didn't think Cantor's loss means Republicans are divided.

"I don't think it's divided at all," Priebus said. "We're going to add seats to the House. So our majority is going to grow. And I think most people out there believe that we've got a better than 50-50 chance of winning the U.S. Senate."

Cantor has received harsh criticism from the far right for his stance on immigration reform, especially from political pundit Laura Ingraham, who said on ABC's "This Week" that Cantor lost because voters knew sending him back to Congress would have been a "green light" for amnesty legislation.

On his campaign website, Brat lists immigration as one of his top issues.

"When addressing the issue of immigration, we must start by securing our border," Brat says on the site. "An open border is both a national security threat and an economic threat that our country cannot ignore. I reject any proposal that grants amnesty and undermines the fundamental rule of law."

Reach David Yates at elections@legalnewsline.com.