Who is Eric Cantor?

By Jay Warren
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: August 6, 2008

His name isn’t likely familiar to you and you probably haven’t seen his picture. But Congressman Eric Cantor could very well be your next vice president.

Over the weekend the Associated Press reported that Cantor is now being vetted by the Sen. John McCain’s team. According to the AP, Cantor’s team provided some financial and personal documents.

So who is Eric Cantor?

Cantor has represented the Richmond area in Congress for 8 years and in the House of Delegates for 9 years before that. he’s young at just 46 years old and he’s the only Jewish Republican in Congress. Cantor has quickly risen in the leadership ranks of the House, currently serving as chief deputy whip.

He’s conservative enough for politicians like Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Rocky Mount), who wrote Sen. McCain a letter recommending Cantor for the position. It said in part that “Cantor has been consistently pro life, consistently for border security and stopping illegal immigration, consistently for fiscal integrity.“

Cantor is also smart enough to win praise from some Democrats, including former Gov. Mark Warner. Tuesday night he told me, “I like Eric Cantor. We don’t always agree with issues. His wife worked for me when I was governor. I think Senator McCain could do a lot worse that Eric Cantor.“

So, what exactly does Cantor really bring to the table? He might keep Virginia, a battleground in this election, in the Republican column. He makes conservatives happy and he might make inroads with Jewish voters, a traditionally Democrat voting group. Plus, he’s young and a good fundraiser. Some say McCain could use some youth on the ticket and he definitely can use all the campaign cash he can get.

It sounds like a good fit, but some say he’s too inexperienced. And WSLS Political Analyst Dr. Bob Denton says Cantor would be a long shot.

Still, Eric Cantor is a name to watch as a possible dark horse pick.