One of the main pro-Israel voice in the US Congress and a veteran politician, Republican Eric Cantor, was defeated in a primary election on Tuesday by a rightist Tea Party favorite, David Brat, a college economics professor, by 11 points, 56% to 45%.
The defeat came as a test for the outcomes of midterm Congressional elections in November.
Cantor, 51, who was on a track to be the highest-ranking Jewish official in American history, was the House of Representatives only Jewish Republican legislator.
The Republican Jewish Committee’s Executive Director Matt Brooks said that the group was “disappointed that our friend Eric Cantor lost his primary race tonight, but we are proud of his many, many accomplishments in Congress.”
He said that Cantor has been “an important pro-Israel voice in the House and a leader on security issues, including Iran sanctions.’’
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a key Republican legislator from Florida, declared:“My good friend Eric Cantor has been by my side as we worked on many issues, such as supporting our ally Israel.’’
According to the US media, ‘’it now appears almost certain that the first Jew to lead one of the two chambers of Congress will come from the ranks of Democrats, where Jewish politicians including New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and New York Rep. Steve Israel already hold important roles of legislative and partisan leadership.’’