Outside the Beltway

Outside the Beltway

Cantor Leaving Early

Steven L. Taylor
27

Comments

Via the Richmond Times-Dispatch:  Cantor to resign from Congress Aug. 18

Cantor said he has asked Gov. Terry McAuliffe to call a special election for his district that coincides with the general election on Nov. 4.

By having a special election in November, the winner would take office immediately, rather than in January with the next Congress.

While I can understand why Cantor would be ready to move on, but this leaves his district unrepresented for several months, which strikes me as him shirking his responsibilities.

,

27 responses to “Cantor Leaving Early”

  1. John Peabody Avatar
    John Peabody

    It’s less than 12 weeks. And it’s not as if Congress is going to be in session hardly at all until the election.

  2. superdestroyer Avatar
    superdestroyer

    this happened in Maryland when Albert Wynn was voted out of office in the Democratic primary in March of 2008. If the quit earlier, they get to start lobbying earlier.

    As the U.S. becomes a one party state and the few relevant elections are in the Democratic primary, this will occur more often. Why hang around 6 months or more as a lame duck.

  3. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    This is a slow period, I will allow. However, I am of the opinion that unless there are extenuating circumstances that one ought to serve out one’s term.

  4. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    (Further, one never knows what Congress might be called to do in a given expanse of time. Consider the aftermath of 9/11, for example, which was during that same “slow” period.)

  5. Doug Mataconis Avatar
    Doug Mataconis

    Congress is only going to be in session 18 days in September, and will not be in session in October anyway. So, I’m not sure there’s that big of a loss for his district. Also, it is typically the case that the district staff stays on after a resignation until there is a new Congressman to deal with constituent service matters.

    The bigger deal, perhaps, is that whoever wins in November, most likely Dave Bratt, will be able to participate in the Lame Duck session that occurs at the end of the year. It hasn’t been announced yet, but it seems inevitable that there will be one.

  6. wr Avatar
    wr

    @Steven L. Taylor: I agree entirely. To me, if you campaign for a position and the voters reward you with their votes, you are committing yourself to serve out your term. Anything less is pure selfishness. And I felt the same way both when Sarah Palin quit and when the newly re-elected Jane Harmon walked away from her congressional seat to take that Wilson Institute job.

    Elected office isn’t like a job at McDonald’s. It demands and deserves a commitment.

  7. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    @Doug Mataconis: Not to make a huge deal of this, but how many days is too many for a district to lack representation? A lot can happen in 18 days (and, as I noted above, the unforeseen does sometimes occur).

  8. Doug Mataconis Avatar
    Doug Mataconis

    @Steven L. Taylor:

    I get your point, but I’m not sure its that big of a deal. Perhaps Cantor should have waited until the conclusion of the September session to resign, but then there would not have been enough time under Virginia law to schedule a Special Election I believe.

  9. al-Ameda Avatar
    al-Ameda

    @Steven L. Taylor:

    (Further, one never knows what Congress might be called to do in a given expanse of time. Consider the aftermath of 9/11, for example, which was during that same “slow” period.)

    Although you make a very good point, I believe it goes deeper than that.

    I think Cantor realized (actually he knows first hand) that nothing is going to get done in The House so he might as well leave early. When your mission is ‘my way or nothing gets done’ this is where and how it ends.

  10. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    @Doug Mataconis: Big deal? Perhaps not, although not a little deal (and I think this as a general matter when members of Congress are absent). But he still has a responsibility (which would include, in my opinion, serving in the lame duck session).

  11. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    @al-Ameda: Indeed–but that that is a deeper problem with Congress itself at the moment (and the majority party).

  12. superdestroyer Avatar
    superdestroyer

    The Gray administration in the District of Columbia started losing staff members the minute that Mayor Gray was defeated in his re-election during the Democratic primary.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/mike-debonis/wp/2014/04/08/leaders-of-d-c-transportation-licensing-agencies-leave-gray-administration/

    Maybe the solution to having lame ducks would be to move the primaries much closer to the general election since in most elections, the primary is the real election.

  13. mantis Avatar
    mantis

    Gotta start cashing in as quickly as possible.

  14. OzarkHillbilly Avatar
    OzarkHillbilly

    Congress hasn’t done a dam thing in years. All this time he has been serving grifting in Congress and NOW he gets an attack of conscious?

  15. wr Avatar
    wr

    @OzarkHillbilly: He has to wait a year after leaving Congress before he can start lobbying. This cuts six months off that waiting time. He can probably rake in a few million in those six months — why, it would be irresponsible not to quit!

  16. Timothy Watson Avatar
    Timothy Watson

    @Doug Mataconis:

    Except the State Board of Elections isn’t even sure they can do a special election for the remainder of the term.

  17. RWB Avatar
    RWB

    Lighten up on him. He was offered a job he had to start immediately on the new Sarah Palin network.

  18. James Pearce Avatar
    James Pearce

    While I can understand why Cantor would be ready to move on, but this leaves his district unrepresented for several months, which strikes me as him shirking his responsibilities.

    Sure, but Cantor has basically already been replaced. His main responsibility at this point is to step aside.

  19. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    @James Pearce: But won’t be replaced until January.

  20. DrDaveT Avatar
    DrDaveT

    this leaves his district unrepresented for several months

    You say this as if some districts are currently NOT unrepresented? You must be watching a different Congress…

  21. Midwestern Dad Avatar
    Midwestern Dad

    If you resign earlier and the new Congressman is elected and serves immediately; does the new Congressman. Have an advantage with seniority and benefit your state and district? I think this has occurred in the past.

  22. Anonne Avatar
    Anonne

    @Midwestern Dad:
    No. In fact, that’s part of the lunacy of letting him be defeated, strictly from a tactical standpoint for that particular district. Trading one loon for another, however, was bad policy regardless.

  23. Boyd Avatar
    Boyd

    @Timothy Watson: I don’t think that article says what you think it says.

  24. rudderpedals Avatar
    rudderpedals

    Anyone whose ever lost an election knows why he’s leaving: It cuts off the humiliation. It’s human and completely understandable.

  25. Robin Cohen Avatar
    Robin Cohen

    @mantis: Good riddance to bad rubbish.

  26. HelloWorld! Avatar
    HelloWorld!

    Members cannot lobbie for 1year after their term ends. Leaving now allows him to lobbie 4 months sooner than if he stayed.

  27. Robin Cohen Avatar
    Robin Cohen

    Little weasel always puts his own interests first.

Trending