The Virginia Republican who defeated then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor two years ago thinks Sen. Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running mate, is vulnerable to a similar challenge in 2018.
“It’s a great message; in theory, I won,” Rep. Dave Brat told reporters Wednesday. “I already won the election. I’m just $20 million shy of a Senate run.”
The reference to how expensive Senate races are is a pessimistic note for a former college professor whose entire primary campaign cost less than Cantor’s campaign spent at steakhouses. But Brat, who campaigned against crony capitalism and lax immigration enforcement, anchored it in his trademark populism.
“That’s the problem with this city: The message doesn’t win; what’s good for the average American doesn’t win,” Brat said. “I’ve got a good crew in the Seventh District that loves Jefferson and Madison, whatever. So, yeah, if I could take that statewide, I’d be a happy camper.”
Still, Brat made clear that some Republican — maybe not him, but someone like him — “should have a shot” at sweeping Kaine out of office.
Kaine’s “a nice guy, he’s been nice to me since I got here, but my small business score is 100 — [from the National Federation of Independent Business] — and his small business score, I think, last year was 17 out of 100,” Brat observed. “And small business creates 70 percent of jobs. And so, if you can’t win on that alone in this period of outsider angst and the small guy feeling they’ve gotten ripped off in recent years — there’s an opening. But, Virginia is purple to light blue, and so, it’s a challenge.”
