In The Arena What Democrats Can Learn From Cantor's Loss

Howard Dean is the former governor of Vermont and the former chair of the Democratic National Committee.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s defeat in his Republican primary Tuesday was a truly unexpected turn of events in a political world that isn’t used to being surprised. The immediate question now: What does Cantor’s defeat really mean?

Understandably, most of the attention has been focused on what Cantor’s history-making loss at the hands of a candidate even further to his right means for the future of the Republican Party, especially after so many in Washington thought the GOP establishment had neutralized an insurrection from the tea party.


Still, there’s much we can learn from last week’s big upset. Cantor’s brutal comeuppance yields five even more important lessons for Democrats heading into November’s elections:

First, competing in every state and every district is still vital. You never know when an opportunity will arise to pull off an unexpected victory — just ask Dave Brat. That’s one of the reasons we launched the 50-state strategy when I was chairman of the Democratic National Committee and why we continue to push for its implementation at Democracy for America. Democrats can win everywhere only when we run everywhere. That requires committing to and developing grass-roots talent in the deepest-red and darkest-blue corners of the electoral map.

Second, Americans are so fed up with Congress that even the tea party wants to kick it out. Eric Cantor was part of a leadership team that has spent four years passing legislation that would increase the wealth gap and desecrate the environment. They have stymied every presidential initiative for the sake of political posturing. House leaders have engaged in very little serious work that would benefit the American people, and voters are sick of it.

Third, organization and shoe leather can beat big money. Cantor spent more on steakhouse dinners with lobbyists than his far-right opponent spent on his entire campaign. In an upcoming election in which Republicans’ secret corporate money could dwarf Democrats’ progressive message on the airwaves, Cantor’s defeat should remind us that phone calls, door knocks and one-on-one conversations with neighbors can beat back a tidal wave of cash.

Fourth, base support wins elections — unless it drives you outside the mainstream. Cantor’s loss has largely been attributed to his failure to retain the support of a GOP grass-roots base that opposes everything from gun-violence prevention to comprehensive immigration reform. That was bad news for Cantor, but it is even worse news for the GOP nationally. The Republican base is driving the party toward a political agenda that makes its candidates increasingly unelectable for national and statewide offices.

This dynamic stands in stark contrast to the one between Democrats and their progressive grass-roots base, which pushes the party to embrace policy ideas that enjoy broad popular support.

Lastly, and perhaps most important, Democrats need to learn from Cantor’s loss that anything can happen in 2014. Even on the morning of the election, not a single major pundit or politician thought the majority leader would lose. Cantor was considered invincible, and Republicans were expected to win big in November. But voters have minds of their own and the tea party’s right-wing base helped it usher in a truly unexpected result.

The fact is, the Democratic base is much larger than the tea party, and polling shows that most Americans stand with us on issue after issue, from expanding Social Security to raising the minimum wage to getting big money out of politics. If Democrats mobilize our base, stand up for what’s right and force a fight on vote-inspiring issues connected to combating income inequality, we can rack up wins that will stun many in Washington’s pundit class — and elect Democratic majorities in the House and Senate in November.