Just a few months ago David Brat was just an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., a few miles north of the state capital in Richmond. Then Mr. Brat successfully ran an tea party-inspired, hyper-local campaign to unseat then-House majority leader Eric Cantor (R) in this spring's Republican primary.
The result sent shockwaves through both parties, and now Brat finds himself in the House of Representatives and perhaps the only through-and-through tea partyer to emerge on the national stage this election cycle.
Brat is a political novice, and his distance from D.C. politics was key to his primary victory over GOP favorite Mr. Cantor. His platform leans heavily on his experience as an economist. His economic platform is built around calls for lower taxes and light regulation. But he also made waves for his brand of right-wing economic populism, blasting Wall Street Republicans for indulging in what he calls corporate welfare.
Brat's stump speeches often delved into the minutiae of federal stimulus and the causes of the Great Recession. He also took popular tea party positions, promising to vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to stop illegal immigration. He has been criticized for calling for drastic cuts to education funding and for saying he isn't worried about climate change because "rich countries solve their problems."
In the Randolph-Macon classroom, Brat appeared to be mostly popular. He has an A- grade on RateMyProfessors.com and various comments praised his energy and subject knowledge, although others claimed he was "off subject often."
Since beating Cantor in the primary, Brat has worked hard both to maintain his position as a Washington outsider while getting his feet wet in D.C. So far he has refused to endorse House Speaker John Boehner (R) of Ohio for another term and has spoken favorably of the "liberty caucus" of libertarian-leaning Republicans.
