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David Alan "Dave" Brat (born July 1964) is an American economist, a professor at Randolph–Macon College, and the Republican nominee for the general election in Virginia's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, which will be held on November 4, 2014.

Brat defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the district's 2014 Republican primary on June 10, 2014. Brat's primary victory over Cantor, one of the biggest upsets in modern congressional history, made him the first primary challenger to oust a sitting House Majority Leader since the position's creation in 1899.

Early life and education

Brat was born in Detroit in July 1964. Brat's father, Paul, was a doctor of internal medicine; his mother, Nancy, was employed as a social worker in Alma, Michigan, where he was raised. His family moved from Alma to Minnesota when David, the oldest of three boys, was in junior high. Brat graduated from Park Center Senior High School in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

Brat attended Hope College in Michigan and received a B.A. in Business Administration in 1986; he also graduated with a Master's degree in Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1990 and earned a Ph.D in economics from American University in 1995. Brat moved to Virginia in 1996 with his wife, Laura.

Career

After working for Arthur Andersen and as a consultant for the World Bank, Brat joined the faculty of Randolph–Macon College in 1996. At Randolph-Macon he has served as chair of the department of economics, and taught courses including "Britain in the International Economy," "International Economic Development," and "Business Ethics." From 2010 to 2012 Brat served as the BB&T ethics program director, a program underwritten by BB&T to study the moral foundations of capitalism.

In 2006 Brat was appointed by Virginia governor Tim Kaine to the Governor's Advisory Board of Economists, a position he continues to hold. He has also served on the board of directors of the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, and on the advisory board of the Virginia Public Access Project.

Politics

Special legislative assistant

From 2005 to 2011, Brat worked as a special legislative assistant to Virginia state senator Walter Stosch in the area of higher education.

2011 campaign for 56th House of Delegates seat

In August 2011, Brat announced he was running for the Virginia House of Delegates seat for the 56th district. However, there was no primary; instead six Republican leaders met and chose Peter Farrell, from among six candidates, as the Republican nominee in the November 2011 general election.

2014 race for 7th congressional district

Republican primary

Brat ran against House Majority Leader Eric Cantor for the Republican nomination for Virginia's 7th congressional district and defeated Cantor by a 12-point margin. Brat was outspent by Cantor 40 to 1: Cantor spent over $5 million, while Brat raised $200,000 and did not spend all of it. An analysis of campaign filings conducted by the Center for Responsive Politics concluded that Brat did not receive any donations from political action committees and ultimately conceded that "it’s almost impossible to profile Brat’s typical donor, because he had so few." Brat's win was a historic and stunning victory, as it was the first time a sitting House Majority Leader was defeated in his primary race since the position was created in the 19th century.

Brat ran well to Cantor's right, complaining that Cantor had a “crony-capitalist mentality”, putting the interests of the corporate sector ahead of small businesses. His campaign laid particular stress on opposing immigration reform, saying that Cantor favored "amnesty" for illegal immigrants. Radio talk show host Laura Ingraham endorsed Brat's candidacy and hosted a rally with him in a Richmond suburb. Brat was also supported by radio talk show host Mark Levin and Ann Coulter. Chris Peace, a state legislator who collaborated with Brat on state budget issues at Randolph-Macon College, stated that Brat was inspired to run for Congress because of "His passion for the structure of government and belief in free markets."

Brat ran an anti-establishment campaign criticizing government bailouts and budget deals, frequently invoking God and the Constitution in his speeches. Despite these efforts and the support of nationally prominent commentators like Coulter and Ingraham, Brat's campaign was not endorsed by national Tea Party groups. During the campaign, Cantor criticized Brat as a "liberal professor" who had strong ties to Tim Kaine, Virginia's former Democratic governor and current junior Senator.

Brat received support from local Tea Party groups in Virginia. On the night of the election results, Brat gave the most credit for his upset win over Cantor to local Tea Party groups in Virginia. Laura Ingraham stated that Brat could not get national Tea Party groups to take phones call from Brat, specifically FreedomWorks for America, Tea Party Patriots, and Tea Party Express. Brat received no funding from national Tea Party groups. Larry Nordvig, executive director of the Richmond Tea Party, said the national Tea Party were not aware of “how much activity was going on underneath the surface down here and how large the ABC — Anybody But Cantor — mentality was.”

Brat did not receive endorsement from national Tea Party groups, though has been loosely connected by some with the Tea Party. Nonetheless, he has not self-identified as a member of that movement. Ron Rapoport, a political scientist at the College of William and Mary, has said Brat may be correctly identified as a "tea partier" only if the term is used as a catchall for "anti-establishment activist" while John Judis has opined that Brat could more correctly be described as a "right-wing populist." Observing that Brat received no campaign donations from national Tea Party groups, the Washington Post concluded that "the fact that Brat took off without the help of those organizations now makes it harder for them to claim his victory as their own."

General election

Brat will face Democratic nominee Jack Trammell, who is also a professor at Randolph-Macon, in the November general election. However, Brat is favored due to the 7th's significant Republican lean. The district has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+10, easily the most Republican district in eastern Virginia.

Political positions

Social Issues

Brat criticizes the political Right for simultaneously advancing the pursuit of individual liberty while pushing laws restricting abortion, gay marriage and gambling, and the Left for coercing others to "fund every social program under the sun."

Government

Brats writes that the government "holds a monopoly on violence" as "any law that we vote for is ultimately backed by the full force of our government and military."

Economic policy

Although Brat has stated he does not identify as a Randian, he has acknowledged having been influenced by Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged and has expressed appreciation of Ayn Rand’s case for human freedom and free markets.

In his 2011 essay titled God and Advanced Mammon — Can Theological Types Handle Usury and Capitalism?, Brat posits that if Christian people "had the guts to spread the word," government would not need to "backstop every action we take." According to a New York Magazine article, Brat "sees free-market economics as being intricately linked to ethics and faith." On Capitalism, Brat writes that it is here to stay and that we need a corresponding church model. He asserts that Jesus had faith and made things better, but the Christians became passive. As an example he prognosticates a second holocaust, stating that Hitler's rise "could all happen again, quite easily", as he "did not meet with unified resistance" from Christians. Brat believes that countries with Protestant pasts have economic advantages over countries that don’t, and that Protestantism "provides an efficient set of property rights and encourages a modern set of economic incentives” that often lead to "positive economic performance.”

His decision to enter the Republican primary was driven largely by Cantor's role in weakening congressional ethics reform. Brat stated: "If you want to find out the smoking gun in this campaign, just go Google and type the STOCK Act and CNN and Eric Cantor."

According to an article published in New York Magazine which reviewed Brat's academic papers, Brat is not just a professor of economics that believes in God, he wants to put God at the center of his work, making the case that Adam Smith’s invisible hand theory, should be seen in the context of Christianity.

Zack Beauchamp from Vox has said that Brat believes that "most economists are motivated by philosophy rather than science: they're secretly utilitarians who believe that the goal of public policy is to produce the greatest good for the greatest number." He wants to dissolve the IRS and has called for drastic cuts to education funding, explaining, "My hero Socrates trained in Plato on a rock. How much did that cost? So the greatest minds in history became the greatest minds in history without spending a lot of money."

Brat has indicated he opposed the Troubled Asset Relief Program of 2008 and has stated that, if elected, he would "vote against bills that benefit big business over small business." He has stated: “I’m not against business. I’m against big business in bed with big government.”

Healthcare

Brat has stated he opposes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and wants to "replace it with free-market solutions that lower costs, improve quality, and increase access to care."

National Security Agency

Brat has called for the National Security Agency to end bulk collection of phone records and has stated his support for statutory protections for e-mail privacy. He has argued that domestic intelligence activities have "spun out of control," and that "the NSA’s indiscriminate collection of data on all Americans is a disturbing violation of our Fourth Amendment right to privacy."

Term limits

Brat has pledged, if elected, to serve a maximum of 12 years (six terms) in Congress.

Publications

• God and Advanced Mammon — Can Theological Types Handle Usury and Capitalism? (2011)
• NAEP Scores, Human Capital, and State Growth (2009)
• A Global Kuznets Curve? (1995)
• All Democracies Created Equal? 195 Years Might Matter (2004)
• Economic Growth and Institutions: The Rise and Fall of the Protestant Ethic? (2004)
• An Analysis of the Moral Foundations in Ayn Rand
• Cross-Country R&D and Growth: Variations on a Theme of Mankiw-Romer-Weil (1996)

Personal life

Brat was raised in the Presbyterian faith and his wife is a Roman Catholic. They split their time between two churches. They are parishioners of St. Mary Catholic Church in Richmond.

Brat's brother, Dan, is a medical doctor and vice chairman of the neuropathology department at Emory University. His youngest brother, Jim, is a Los Angeles-based real estate attorney.

References

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/12/us/politics/david-brat-waged-solo-fight-against-eric-cantor.html
2. June 10, 2014 (January 15, 1962). "Laura Brat- Virginia Politician Dave Brat's Wife (Bio, Wiki)". Dailyentertainmentnews.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. ^ "Alma native now in the red hot heat of publicity". Themorningsun.com. June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
4. ^ David Brat. "Academic CV" (PDF). Randolph-Macon College.
5. About Dave
6. Isenstadt, Alex (June 10, 2014). "Who is Dave Brat?". Politico. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
7. "House Majority Leader Eric Cantor loses GOP primary to tea-party challenger". Dallas Morning News. June 10, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
8. "House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Defeated By Tea Party Challenger David Brat In Virginia GOP Primary". Ibtimes.com. July 25, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
9. "News and Features". Richmond Magazine. December 7, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
10. "Who Is Dave Brat? Take a Look at the Ayn Rand Loving, Immigration Reform Hating, Cato Institute Referencing Man Who Beat Eric Cantor - Reason 24/7". Reason.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
11. by Juanski. "David Brat Archives | Michigan News". Michigan.icito.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
12. "News and Features". Richmond Magazine. December 7, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
13. "David Alan Brat at Tobacco Issues.com". Tobaccoissues.com. July 19, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
14. "Classes". rmc.edu. Randolph-Macon College. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
15. ^ "David Brat Faculty CV". Randolph-Macon College. Randolph-Macon College. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
16. Dr. David Brat seeks 56th House of Delegate Seat
17. Chad Pergram, Associated Press. (June 10, 2014). "Cantor upset in Virginia GOP primary by Tea Party backed challenger". Fox News. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
18. Memoli, Michael A. Eric Cantor upset: How Dave Brat pulled off a historic political coup, Los Angeles Times, June 11, 2014.
19. Mascaro, Lisa, Michael A. Memoli, and Mark Z. Barabak. Washington reels as House's Eric Cantor loses to tea party challenger, Los Angeles Times, June 11, 2014.
20. Choma, Russ (June 11, 2014). "Dave Versus Goliath, By the Numbers". opensecrets.org. Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
21. ^ Jonathan Martin (June 10, 2014). "Eric Cantor Defeated by David Brat, Tea Party Challenger, in G.O.P. Primary Upset". New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
22. Janet Hook and Kristina Peterson (June 10, 2014). "Eric Cantor Loses to Tea Party's David Brat in Virginia Primary". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
23. Robert Costa, Laura Vozzella and David A. Fahrenthold (June 10, 2014). "Eric Cantor succumbs to tea party challenger Tuesday". Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
24. Chris Moody (June 11, 2014). "Washington is caught totally off guard by Cantor loss". Yahoo News. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
25. Parkinson, John. "Dave Brat: Meet the Candidate Who Beat Eric Cantor". ABC News. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
26. Lee, Tony (May 28, 2014). "Dave Brat: Illegal Immigrants Pouring into USA After Cantor Announced 'Kids Are Welcome'". Breitbart.com. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
27. "House Majority Leader Eric Cantor loses GOP primary to tea-party challenger". The Dallas Morning News. June 10, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
28. Cassidy, John (June 11, 2014). "CANTOR LOSES, AND WASHINGTON GOES APE". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
29. Bump, Philip (June 10, 2014). "David Brat just beat Eric Cantor. Who is he?". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
30. ^ Steinhauerjune, Jennifer (June 11, 2014). "Once Snubbed, David Brat Turns the Tables". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
31. "Cantor out in Tea Party shocker". thehill.com. The Hill. June 10, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
32. Gold, Matea. How national tea party groups missed the David Brat boat, Washington Post, June 10, 2014.
33. Martin, Jonathan. Eric Cantor Defeated by David Brat, Tea Party Challenger, in G.O.P. Primary Upset, New York Times, June 10, 2014.
34. "How David Brat Won". Politico. June 11, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
35. Peter, Grier (June 11, 2014). "Is David Brat really a tea partier?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved June 12, 2014. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
36. Gold, Matea (June 10, 2014). "How national tea party groups missed the David Brat boat". Washington Post. Retrieved June 12, 2014. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
37. "Dave Brat and his Democratic general election opponent are both professors from the same college". Vox.com. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
38. Cania, Catalina (June 11, 2014). "Who is Dave Brat, GOP giant-killer who took down Eric Cantor?". USA Today.
39. ^ "David Brat's Writings: Hitler's Rise 'Could All Happen Again'". The Wall Street Journal Post. June 10, 2014.
40. Woodruff, Betsy (January 6, 2014). "Eric Cantor's Challenger from the Right". National Review. National Review Online. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
41. ^ Roose, Kevin (June 11, 2014). "David Brat Just Became the Christian Right's Favorite Economist". New York Magazine. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
42. ^ Fang, Lee (June 11, 2014). "Eric Cantor's Opponent Beat Him by Calling Out GOP Corruption". The Nation. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
43. Rose, Kevin. "David Brat Just Became the Christian Right's Favorite Economist". New York Magazine. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
44. Beauchamp, Zack. "The guy who beat Eric Cantor penned a scathing, seemingly unpublished book about the economics profession". Vox. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
45. ^ Redden, Molly; Corn, David. "David Brat, the Libertarian Who Beat Eric Cantor, Doesn't Believe in the "Common" Good". http://www.motherjones.com/. Mother Jones. Retrieved June 12, 2014. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
46. Dave Brat (April 18th, 2014). Dave Brat at Life Church Part II (Video). Life Church: Handover Friends of Dave Brat. {{cite AV media}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
47. Dave Brat (May 7th, 2014). Dave Brat at MTP Q&A (Video). Unknown: Mechteaparty. {{cite AV media}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
48. ^ "Issues". davebratforcongress.com. Dave Brat for Congress. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
49. Fung, Brian (June 11, 2014). "Eric Cantor was a friend of the NSA. The guy who beat him hates it". Washington Post. Retrieved June 12, 2014. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
50. Lee, Timothy (June 10, 2014). "Eric Cantor's loss is bad news for the NSA". vox.com. Vox. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
51. "David Brat's Writings: Hitler's Rise 'Could All Happen Again'". Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
52. "Brat, David A., Kenneth Sands, and Evan Dungan. "NAEP Scores, Human Capital, and State Growth." Virginia Economic Journal 14 (2009): 21-43. ProQuest. Web. 11 June 2014". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
53. Park, Walter G., and David A. Brat. "A Global Kuznets Curve?" Kyklos 48.1 (1995): 105.
54. "All Democracies Created Equal? 195 Years Might Matter," (PDF). Randolf-Macon College. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
55. Brat, David. "Economic Growth and Institutions: The Rise and Fall of the Protestant Ethic?" Virginia Economic Journal 9 (2004): 33-40.
56. "So Who's The Guy Who Just Beat Eric Cantor? Meet Dave Brat". Hufifngton Post. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
57. "http://nw08.american.edu" (PDF). American University Washington DC. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
58. "David Brat campaign website". Davebratforcongress.com. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
59. "Where does the Dave Brat toppling of Eric Cantor rank?". wtvr.com. WTVR-TV. Retrieved June 12, 2014.

External links

• Dave Brat for Congress
• Professor David Brat at Randolph-Macon College
• Template:DMOZ

Template:Persondata

• 1964 births
• American economists
• American Roman Catholics
• American University alumni
• Hope College alumni
• Living people
• People associated with the Tea Party movement
• People from Detroit, Michigan
• People from Henrico County, Virginia
• People from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
• Princeton Theological Seminary alumni
• Randolph–Macon College faculty
• Virginia Republicans
• World Bank people