Cantor Spent More at Steakhouses than Dave Brat Did on Whole Campaign

A factoid in a New York Times article on House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (R-VA) surprise defeat Tuesday night is getting a lot of play, perhaps because it so perfectly encapsulates the combination of largesse and Washington detachment on which many are blaming Cantor’s loss: the incumbent spent more at steakhouses since the start of last year than his opponent Dave Brat spent on his entire campaign.

The Times prices Cantor’s total cow tab at $168,637 — amassed at only three restaurants — compared to Brat’s roughly $200,000 in total campaign expenses. But PunditFact puts Brat’s total expenditures at $123,000 through last month, thanks to a shoestring campaign featuring only two paid staffers. In all, Cantor outspent Brat 40 to 1 and lost by over ten percentage points.

In Cantor’s defense, the steak was probably pretty good.

[h/t New York Times / PunditFact]

[Image via screengrab]

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