House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his Virginia congressional seat to a Tea Party-endorsed professor. Cantor's loss is one of the most shocking primary election results in congressional history.

The primary night was Cantor's election to lose. The seven-term Republican congressional leader outspent his challenger, David Brat, with $5.2 million in campaign funding for television advertisements and direct mail to voters. Brat, a Randolph-Macon College professor, raised only $200,000 in campaign funds.

One reason for Cantor's loss was his handling of immigration reform. Although Cantor and fellow House Republicans have yet to outline immigration reform, the topic was a talking point for challenger Brat. He criticized Cantor's "soft" approach on immigration and alleged Cantor supported amnesty for immigrants in the United States. While on the campaign trail, Cantor released advertisements saying he opposed an amnesty policy. In late May, his campaign released a mailer stating he is "stopping the Obama-Reid plan to give illegal aliens amnesty."

According to the National Council of La Raza, Cantor received the lowest score possible for immigration reform progress — 59 percent — tied with Speaker of the House John Boehner. The NCLR's report card, in collaboration with other Latino and voter-based organizations, were preliminary scores ahead of a July final score publication.

Brat's victory has been touted as a further setback for any potential immigration reform. Despite the lack of progress on immigration reform from Cantor, Brat called Cantor a "liberal" for engaging with reform efforts.

"The American people want to pay attention to serious ideas again," said Brat on Fox News Tuesday night. "Our founding was built by people who were political philosophers, and we need to get back to that, away from this kind of cheap political rhetoric of right and left."

Cantor addressed his supporters on Tuesday night following his loss. After the four-minute concession speech, immigration activists entered the Richmond hotel in protest. According to the Washington Post, statements such as "What do we want? Immigration reform! When do we want it? Now!" were heard.

Brat will face Democrat and fellow Randolph-Macon professor Jack Trammell for Cantor's Virginia congressional district seat. As Real Clear Politics noted, Cantor's political future might not be over as he could reenter the race as a write-in candidate.

"I never thought I'd see the day that Eric Cantor would be losing his primary," said New York Representative Louise Slaughter, senior Democrat on the House Rules Committee, to the New York Times.

Former Speaker of the House and current California Representative Nancy Pelosi stated, "I still can't even believe it."

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Brat won with 56 percent to Cantor's 44 percent.

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