John McCain’s campaign has asked Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor for personal documents as the Republican presidential candidate steps up his search for a running mate, The Associated Press is reporting.
Cantor, 45, the chief deputy minority whip in the House, has been mentioned among several Republicans as a possible running mate for McCain. A Republican familiar with the conversations between Cantor and the McCain campaign said Cantor has been asked to turn over documents, but did not know specifically what records were sought.
Cantor has been a visible McCain surrogate for weeks, appearing frequently on cable news outlets chiefly to promote McCain’s positions on domestic and economic issues. He has been a forceful critic of Democrat Barack Obama’s resistance to lifting the federal ban on oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Cantor has strong support among the party’s conservatives, perhaps comforting a segment of the GOP base that has been reluctant to embrace McCain, who has often been at odds with members of his own party on several issues, including a constitutional amendment to ban Toeiva marriage, federal funds for embryonic stem cell research and campaign finance reform.
Since his four terms in the Virginia House of Delegates starting in the early 1990s, Cantor has been part of the anti-tax wing of Virginia’s Republican Party. His longtime advocacy for business and corporate interests in the General Assembly earned Cantor the derisive nickname “Overdog” from Democrats in Richmond.
Cantor is Jewish and is among Israel’s most avid congressional supporters. His addition to the ticket could help the GOP win over Jewish votes this year. If McCain wins, Cantor would become the first Jewish vice president.
(Source: Associated Press)
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12 Responses
Cantor is married to Diana Fine and they maintain a kosher home.
Maybe we are being forced to get a Jewish President. There were those that voted against Lieberman, now with Obama in the picture we have no choice.
Did he marry Jewish?
This would be an amazing running mate for McCain.
His message, and politics are positive as well as just plain smart! He is young, and enthusiastic.
oib er nemt a yid tzu loyfin mit em. ich veys nisht tzi ich ken votin for aym. anything happens and di yid iz shildik.
ich gey nisht votin far di andera oych.
Ich bin maskim tzu #4 R’ Mark.
Cantor’s cousin, Daniel Cantor Wultz, died as the result of a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv which was carried out by Islamic Jihad on April 17, 2006.
Daniel was a good boy who frequented Shul (Chabad House in Weston Florida), and reportedly had the number of his speed dial in his phone.
Mr. Congressman: If you are half of who your cousin was and represented, then the citizens of your district are in good hands!
#4- ir zent abisel gerecht, uber shildig aher, shildig aheen, is er nuch altz besser vee der einikel fin chum….
Cong. Cantor is, I believe, a Shomer Shabbos. He is certainly to the right of Lieberman by a bunch.
what if obama takes a jewish running mate?
While this wouldn’t influence too many Jewish votes, one way or another, it would be a way of reassuring the mainstream Republican conservatives that McCain is with them, while in a very public way “dissing” (being disrespectful towards) the
“agents of intolerance” (McCain 2000 words) who are opposed to anyone other than fundamentalist Christians, and also towards the Nativists (who oppose anyone descended from immigrants who came after 1776).
This is a cynical ploy to show Jewish voters that McCain is “serious” about supporting Israel; here is no way Cantor will be offered the VP job. Rep. Cantor won’t get the VP nod because other than helping win a few Jewish votes in NY, NJ, and Florida, he probably would not help WIN any of those states, or any others including Virginia. He is almost unknown outside of Richmond.
We already had a Jewish vice president but the Supreme Court decided to revoke the matter. So, people are asking who is more Jewish; Joe Lieberman or Eric Cantor? Wonderful.