Vorlage:Infobox Congressman Eric Ivan Cantor (born June 6, 1963 in Richmond, Virginia) is currently the Republican representative of Virginia's 7th congressional district. He attended George Washington University where he was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity[1], received his Juris Doctor from the College of William and Mary, and received a master's degree in real estate development from Columbia University.[2] Cantor worked for over a decade with his family's small business doing legal work and real estate development. Cantor was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, serving there from 1992 to 2001, when he was elected to the House; he is the only Jewish Republican in the House.
Congress
During his first term in office, Cantor was selected to serve as Chairman of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare. He has also served on the House Financial Services Committee and on the House International Relations Committee and the very powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Since his second term, he has served as chief deputy Republican whip, the highest appointed position in the Republican caucus.Vorlage:Fact
Cantor is married to Diana Fine and they maintain a kosher home.[3] On June 8, 2005, Cantor defeated Jim Nachman, the Democratic nominee and Independent candidate Dr. Brad Blanton. Cantor received 64% of the votes.Vorlage:Fact
Cantor is a supporter of strong US-Israel relations, cosponsoring legislation that would cut off all U.S. taxpayer aid to the Palestinian Authority and another bill calling for an end to taxpayer aid to the Palestinians until they stop unauthorized excavations on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.[4] Responding to a claim by the State Department that the United States provides no "direct" aid to the Palestinian Authority, Cantor stated that United States sends about US$75 million in aid annually to the Palestinian Authority, which is administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Cantor also stated that Congress approved a three-year package of US$400 million in aid for the Palestinian Authority in 2000.[5] Cantor's cousin, Daniel Cantor Wultz, died as the result of a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv which was carried out by Islamic Jihad on April 17 2006.Vorlage:Fact
In the 2002 election, Cantor defeated Democratic opponent Ben "Cooter" Jones, who starred on the popular TV series The Dukes of Hazzard. [6]
In August 2008, it was reported that Cantor was being considered as John McCain's Vice Presidential running mate, with McCain's representatives seeking documents from Cantor as part of its vetting process.[7][8][9]
He has been mentioned as a possible prospect for a presidential run in 2012. [10]
On Sept. 29, 2008, Cantor, blamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the failure of the $700 billion economic bailout bill. Pelosi had struck "the tone of partisanship that frankly, was inappropriate in this discussion," Cantor said. "This is not a partisan crisis," Cantor said. "This is an economic crisis facing everyone." He noted that 94 Democrats voted against the measure, as well as 133 Republicans. [11].
Electoral history
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Warren A. Stewart | 94,935 | 33% | Eric Cantor | 192,652 | 67% | * | |||||||
| 2002 | Ben L. "Cooter" Jones | 49,854 | 30% | Eric Cantor | 113,658 | 69% | * | |||||||
| 2004 | (no candidate) | Eric Cantor | 230,765 | 75% | W. Brad Blanton | Independent | 74,325 | 24% | * | |||||
| 2006 | James M. Nachman | 88,206 | 34% | Eric Cantor | 163,706 | 64% | W. Brad Blanton | Independent | 4,213 | 2% | *
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2000, write-ins received 304 votes. In 2002, write-ins received 153 votes. In 2004, write-ins received 568 votes. In 2006, write-ins received 272 votes.
ReferencesExternal links
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- ↑ Students campaign for GW alumnus "The GW Hatchet"
- ↑ Barnes, Fred. " Virginia's Eric Cantor has risen fast-and the sky's the limit.", The Weekly Standard, October 1, 2007. Accessed August 3, 2008. "As a freshman at George Washington University in 1981, Cantor worked as an intern for House Republican Tom Bliley of Virginia and was Bliley's driver in the 1982 campaign. After GW, Cantor got a law degree at William & Mary and a master's in real estate management from Columbia University."
- ↑ Diana Cantor: Helping Families Finance College, Jewish Woman, Fall 2003.
- ↑ Jewish minyan grows in Senate; Jew elected to House, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, November 8, 2002.
- ↑ Bush waives law forbidding U.S. aid to PLO
- ↑ Republicans projected to retain House
- ↑ Rosenbluth, Susan, "Eric Cantor: He’s Young, He’s Conservative, He’s against Dividing Jerusalem, and John McCain’s Considering Him for VP", [Jewish Voice and Opinion], August, 2008.
- ↑ Lewis, Bob, via Associated Press. "In veep search, McCain asks Cantor for records", Yahoo! News, August 3, 2008.
- ↑ "Rep. Cantor Under Closer McCain Scrutiny for Veep". Fox News Channel, August 2, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-08-03 from http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/02/mccain-campaign-asks-rep-cantor-for-personal-records/.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ Election Statistics. Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, abgerufen am 10. Januar 2008.