I was out running errands during lunch and heard an anti-Eric Cantor ad on WRVA during Rush Limbaugh.
The ad is paid for by Virginia Vision Action PAC and attacks Cantor for going to Florida this weekend to appear at a fund raiser for The Republican Main Street Partnership PAC, a newly formed “Super PAC” thats aim is to support incumbents or other “mainstream” candidates being opposed by Tea Party aligned candidates. Cantor was originally scheduled to appear with Speaker of the House John Boehner but Boehner backed out at the last-minute. At the end of the ad, it encourages people to vote for Dave Brat for Congress, a Randolph Macon College economics professor who is challenging Cantor in the June 10th, 7th District Republican Primary.
Brat is likely going to need the help of outside groups because as of the end of April, Cantor had $1.5 million in the bank. A quick check of the FEC only shows Brat’s candidate filing and no April Quarterly fundraising report. It doesn’t hurt to have this ad running on the 50,000 watt blow torch WRVA, the largest and most listened to talk station in the 7th Congressional District. WRVA airs Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity in addition to Michael Savage. It is the 7th District’s conservative voice on radio.
NRAPVF endorsements have not been posted for the 7th District primary yet but it’s a safe bet that Cantor will get the endorsement because he has a long record of supporting the rights of Virginia gun owners. NRA has an incumbent-friendly policy that dictates support for pro-gun incumbents seeking re-election regardless of party. Cantor received an “A+” rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund in 2012 and has done nothing to change that rating in the last two years. NRA is a single issue organization so no matter what one’s gripes are with Cantor’s voting record on other issues, he is good on guns.
As an aside, while I may not be completely happy with all of Cantor’s votes of late, to call him a RINO is not accurate either. John McCain is a RINO. Chuck Hagel is a RINO. Eric Cantor is no RINO.
You can hear the ad below.
