Editing Eric Cantor (section)

===2014 Republican primary and resignation===
{{See also|2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia#District 7}}
On June 10, 2014, in a major upset, Cantor lost the Republican primary by 7,193 votes to [[Dave Brat]], a Tea Party candidate and a professor at [[Randolph-Macon College]]. That made Cantor the first sitting House majority leader to lose a primary since the position was created in 1899.<ref name="MSNBCdefeat">{{cite news|url=https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/eric-cantor-loses-gop-primary-dave-brat|title=Eric Cantor loses GOP primary to tea party challenger Dave Brat|last=Kim|first=Clare|date=June 10, 2014|publisher=[[MSNBC]]| access-date=June 11, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://editions.lib.umn.edu/smartpolitics/2014/06/10/eric-cantor-1st-house-majority/ |title= Eric Cantor 1st House Majority Leader to Lose Renomination Bid in History |work=Smart Politics |first=Eric |last=Ostermeier |date= June 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Costa|first=Robert|title=Eric Cantor Succumbs to Tea Party Challenger Tuesday|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=June 10, 2014|access-date=June 10, 2014|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/eric-cantor-faces-tea-party-challenge-tuesday/2014/06/10/17da5d20-f092-11e3-bf76-447a5df6411f_story.html}}</ref><ref name="Atlanticdefeat">{{cite web|title=Cantor's Loss: A Stunning Upset| url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/06/eric-cantor-loses-in-stunning-upset/372550/|website=The Atlantic|publisher=Politico.com| access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> Internal campaign polls before the primary showed Cantor 30 points ahead of Brat,<ref name=latimes06112014/> and he outspent Brat 40 to 1.<ref name="MemoliLATimes06112014">Memoli, Michael A. [https://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-eric-cantor-dave-brat-primary-20140611-story.html Eric Cantor upset: How Dave Brat pulled off a historic political coup], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', June 11, 2014.</ref>

Cantor's loss in the primary was described by the ''Los Angeles Times'' as "one of the greatest political upsets of modern times."<ref name=latimes06112014>{{cite web|last1=Barabak|first1=Mark Z.|title=The earthquake that toppled Eric Cantor: How did it happen?|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-earthquake-toppled-cantor-20140611-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 11, 2014}}</ref> His loss was attributed to numerous factors including a moderating of his views after entering House leadership, being disconnected from his district, a lack of enthusiasm among his supporters, low turnout for the primary election, his palpable sliminess, and support of Brat from radio talk show hosts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/11/politics/why-eric-cantor-lost/|title=7 reasons Eric Cantor lost|date=June 11, 2014|publisher=CNN|access-date=October 1, 2015}}</ref>

Although the national media were shocked at Brat's victory, Richmond-area media outlets had received signs well before the primary that Cantor was in trouble.<ref name=Blindspot>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/16/business/media/eric-cantors-defeat-exposed-a-beltway-journalism-blind-spot.html|title=Eric Cantor's Defeat Exposed a Beltway Journalism Blind Spot|last=Carr|first=David|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 16, 2014}}</ref> The ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]'' reported two weeks before the primary that a number of Cantor's constituents felt he took them for granted.  The ''Times-Dispatch'' also revealed that Cantor's attempt to brand Brat as a liberal professor actually made more people turn out for Brat.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.richmond.com/news/state-regional/virginia-politics/schapiro-in-new-kent-brat-backers-hope-to-hold-cantor/article_dff230e0-d76a-599d-992e-3bb000efe560.html|title=In New Kent, Brat Backers Hope To Hold Cantor Accountable|last=Schapiro|first=Jeff|newspaper=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]|date=May 24, 2014}}</ref>  ''The Chesterfield Observer,'' a local paper serving [[Chesterfield County, Virginia|Chesterfield County]]—roughly half of which is in the 7th—reported that Tea-Party-aligned candidates had won several victories there, and at least one Cantor loyalist believed Tea Party supporters smelled "blood in the water."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chesterfieldobserver.com/news/2014-06-04/Front_Page/Retreading_the_GOP.html|title=Retreading the GOP?|last=McConnell|first=Jim|work=The Chesterfield Observer|date=June 4, 2014|access-date=September 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103010058/http://www.chesterfieldobserver.com/news/2014-06-04/Front_Page/Retreading_the_GOP.html|archive-date=January 3, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> One local reporter told David Carr of ''[[The New York Times]]'' that many constituents believed Cantor was arrogant and unapproachable. However, due to massive cutbacks, the race was severely under-polled by local media.  Few Capitol Hill reporters were willing to go to Cantor's district, for fear that they would be out of Washington in case a major story broke.<ref name=Blindspot/>

Following his primary defeat, Cantor announced his resignation as House Majority Leader effective on July 31 and declared that he would not run in the general election. In an interview with the ''Times-Dispatch'' that day, Cantor announced his resignation from Congress effective August 18 and said that he had asked Virginia governor [[Terry McAuliffe]] to call for a special election on November 4 to coincide with the 2014 general election.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/virginia-politics/cantor-to-resign-from-congress-on-aug/article_b62e871b-fa55-57fe-9019-6efaf52cbcc7.html |title=Cantor to resign from Congress on Aug. 18 |last=Schmidt |first=Markus |work=Richmond Times-Dispatch |date=August 1, 2014 |access-date=August 1, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="ABCresign">{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/eric-cantor-step-house-majority-leader/story?id=24092285|title=Eric Cantor to Step Down as House Majority Leader|last=Zeleny|first=Jeff|author2=John Parkinson |date=June 11, 2014|work=ABC News|access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref><ref name=cnn_resignation>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/11/politics/cantor-resign-majority-leader/index.html?hpt=hp_c2 |title=Eric Cantor will leave House leadership post after stunning loss |publisher=CNN |date=June 11, 2014}}</ref>

In early September, advisory firm [[Moelis & Company]] announced that it was appointing Eric Cantor as vice chairman and managing director and that he would be elected to the Moelis & Company board of directors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moelis.com/News/SitePages/news-feed-details.aspx?feedId=248 |title=Press Release |access-date=September 14, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914080214/http://www.moelis.com/News/SitePages/news-feed-details.aspx?feedId=248 |archive-date=September 14, 2014  }}</ref>