GOP Rep. Raúl Labrador of Idaho announces
via statement he will challenge House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy in the contest to replace the outgoing Eric Cantor as majority leader:
I was stunned when Eric Cantor lost his primary election earlier this week. Eric is a good friend and I have tremendous respect for him. But the message from Tuesday is clear – Americans are looking for a change in the status quo.
Labrador probably has less of a shot as David Brat did, or at least as much of a shot as most people thought that Brat did before beating Cantor, but he'll present himself as a conservative alternative to McCarthy, who
is seen as a heavy favorite and has Cantor's backing.
The election is on Thursday, so Labrador doesn't have much time to make his case, but if you believe what he says in his statement, then he's got the American people on his side, because in Tuesday's election they sent a clear message. Sure, Brat only got 36,120 votes, which at last check amounts to about 0.01 percent of the American public, but as Labrador knows, those 36,120 people speak for the entire country, and what they want is more tea party, not less. And Raúl wants to be the guy to give it to them.
Which is really great for America, because 36,000 Republicans in red-country Virginia are pretty much America. Just ask George Allen.
11:44 AM PT: The Amurkan people weigh in:
Wanted: Applicants for Majority Leader, US House who have record opposing amnesty. Come see me. 2nd Request. No qualified applicants, yet.
— @SteveKingIA