It will most likely mean that Brat, who is expected to win the congressional seat, would have seniority over others elected in November who won’t take office until January.Ĭantor has not made any public comments about what he will do next or if he has already decided his next move. 4 general election, so his successor could be sworn in immediately. Terry McAuliffe (D) to hold a special election the same day as the Nov. In a statement, Cantor said that he had asked Virginia Gov. The Clerk of the House will take over the Virginia 7th District office until a new member is elected and installed. Cantor, who regularly traveled with a large entourage of staff and security detail, would have seen the number of aides diminish dramatically.Ĭantor announced Friday that he was planning to leave Aug. Over the past month, he had stopped going to many of the GOP leadership meetings where top lawmakers planned strategy and made decisions on what legislation they would take up. But he also knows financial markets well.”įollow in the House would have been challenging for Cantor. McCarthy added, “there is no one he doesn’t know or legislation he hasn’t worked. “He knows a great deal, but he always try to learn more,” said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). ( Also on POLITICO: Krauthammer: GOP 'ridiculous')Ĭantor’s friends in Congress expect him to be a huge success in the private sector. He didn’t even cast a vote on the House floor. Cantor, though, didn’t give any hints that just hours later, he would announce his resignation.īy Thursday night, Cantor was gone. When he left the room, his former staffers broke out beer and wine.
The aides then presented Cantor with a bowl inscribed with the names of every one of his staffers, political aides and even security detail. While he was speaking, Cantor, who usually prides himself on his reserved bearing, became emotional. He told the group he considered each of them family. ( Also on POLITICO: House moves toward vote on border)Ĭantor, who had just bid farewell to his colleagues on the House floor, was joined by his daughter, Jenna.
Then they watched a slide show of photos that Stombres put together of Cantor and his aides over the years. His staff later that day alerted his leadership colleagues of his pending announcement.Īnd at the farewell that afternoon, there was no hint of his decision.ĭozens of his current and former aides - Team Cantor, as they call themselves - gathered around the massive dark wood table in his conference room, listening to Steve Stombres, Cantor’s longtime chief of staff, thank them for their service to the Virginia Republican. Still, only a small set of senior aides knew Thursday afternoon that Cantor was about to end his congressional career. ( Also on POLITICO: Obama: 'We tortured some folks') One House Republican lawmaker said that as soon as Cantor lost, “his mind already began to focus on the next part of his life.” “Clearly he’s been traveling and talking to a lot of people.” “Eric is a doer - there’s not a lot to do,” said a former Cantor aide, who was watching Cantor closely since his primary defeat. Several Republicans said that as soon as Cantor lost to economics professor Dave Brat in the Republican primary June 10, there were signs that he wasn’t going to finish out his term. ( Also on POLITICO: Timeline: Eric Cantor career highlights)Ĭantor never moved to the small Capitol office space he was scheduled to take over as a consolation prize for losing his sprawling majority leader suite.
Although members can explore new job opportunities while still in office, his departure from Congress means that Cantor won’t have to disclose any companies or firms with whom he may be negotiating for a job.