Dayspring was one of the Hill’s most well-known Republican aides. | John Shinkle/POLITICO Heated clash led to Cantor aide exit

The sudden departure of trusted House Majority Leader Eric Cantor aide Brad Dayspring late last week followed a heated, nearly physical confrontation with another senior Cantor staffer over the unveiling of a major GOP initiative.

The dramatic exit of Dayspring — one of the House Republican Conference’s savviest and most controversial operatives — came after a clash with another top Cantor aide, Mike Ference, over the rollout of a jobs bill that’s set to hit the floor this week.


Ference, Cantor’s director of outreach, had been working with House offices to ensure that Democratic lawmakers would stand by the Virginia Republican when he unveiled the jobs bill outside the Capitol. But Democratic support never materialized and concerns about that fact were rising among some on Cantor’s staff.

Political Washington has been abuzz all weekend over what led to the departure of Dayspring, one of the Hill’s most well-known GOP aides. The 34-year-old hockey fanatic and New Jersey native is known as a fierce — at times in-your-face — defender of the Virginia Republican in his dealings with staff and reporters alike.

Just days before the rollout of Cantor’s JOBS Act was to be held outside the Capitol with business leaders, it was clear that Democrats, who were believed to be on board, would not participate.

Some in the office became spooked that the business leaders — who were told the event would be bipartisan — would bail. And in short order, former America Online CEO Steve Case dropped out, a potential embarrassment to Cantor’s efforts.

Dayspring and Ference exchanged words Tuesday, and Ference later that day aggressively confronted Dayspring, almost getting into a physical altercation, sources familiar with the incident said. Later that week, Dayspring did not attend a Cantor fundraiser in Richmond, Va., an event that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) headlined.

On Friday, Dayspring submitted his resignation.

Dayspring will now work for the Young Guns Action Fund super PAC, started by former Cantor aide John Murray.

This dustup is only the most recent closed-door clash among House Republican leadership. There have been numerous disagreements between aides and members over issues such as the debt ceiling, government funding and the payroll tax holiday.

The JOBS Act will hit the floor this week and is almost certain to pass — giving Cantor and his team a legislative victory. Simultaneously, House Republican leadership is laboring to pass a massive highway and infrastructure spending bill pushed by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.). The highway legislation has been delayed nearly a month, as Republicans try to tweak the bill to wrangle votes.

Dayspring declined to comment. Ference did not respond to a request for comment. Cantor chief of staff Steve Stombres declined to comment directly on the events surrounding Dayspring’s exit for this article.

“Deputy Chief of Staff Brad Dayspring has resigned to pursue other opportunities,” Stombres said in a Saturday statement. “Brad will be missed and we wish Brad all the best luck in his future endeavors. He was a valued employee and did an outstanding job defining and defending our Republican majority.”

Murray, in a statement, said it is “with great enthusiasm” that Dayspring will join the super PAC as a senior adviser.

“When Young Guns was formed it was designed to help leaders like Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy chart a new course for the center-right movement and the House majority,” Murray said in an emailed statement. “Brad’s years of work both on Capitol Hill and in the campaign world are a perfect blend to help take us to the next level.”

In recent months, Dayspring has assumed an increased role in Cantor’s world. He was promoted from communications director to deputy chief of staff, shifting from day-to-day messaging to long-term strategy.

His decampment to the super PAC signals that he’s still firmly within Cantor’s orbit.

Dayspring has been a lightning rod for controversy inside the GOP leadership for a long time. His strong advocacy for Cantor’s view frustrated other leadership offices, but the majority leader never wavered in his support.

During a “60 Minutes” interview of Cantor that ran in early January, Dayspring interrupted the session when Lesley Stahl repeatedly pressed the majority leader on the impact of Ronald Reagan’s tax policy, a move that provoked widespread comment and criticism.

POLITICO reported early last month that Boehner and Cantor’s offices had called a “truce” in their behind-the-scenes rivalry.

Yet no one who interacted with Dayspring could deny his talent and his full-throated defense of everything Cantor, a loyalty that Cantor repaid with his continued support of Dayspring despite high-profile flaps.

This article tagged under: Eric Cantor

Brad Dayspring