He said serving as congressman for the 7th District and as House majority leader “has been one of the highest honors of my life.”

“What I set out to do and what the agenda that I have always said we’re about is we want to create a Virginia and an America that works for everybody,” he told his crestfallen supporters.

“We need to focus our efforts as conservatives, as Republicans, on putting forward our conservative solutions so that they can help solve the problems for so many working middle-class families that may not have the opportunity that we have.”

“We can also put our solutions to work for the most vulnerable,” he said, mentioning his work on charter schools.

He mentioned his work on research and said he was proud of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act.

“I know there’s a lot of long faces here tonight and it’s disappointing, sure,” Cantor said. “But I believe in this country. I believe there’s opportunity around the next corner for all of us.

“So I look forward to continuing to fight with all of you for the things that we believe in for the conservative cause because those solutions of ours are the answer to the problems that so many people are facing today.”