The upset of Rep. Eric Cantor by Dave Brat in Tuesday's primary rocked Washington. It also left its stamp on a tiny college in Ashton, Va. Brat is a professor at Randolph-Macon College — as is his next opponent, Democrat Jack Trammell.
Randolph-Macon is a small liberal arts college of about 1,300 students, founded by the United Methodist Church in 1830. The chances that two of its professors would be opponents in a congressional campaign were, before this week, microscopic. But on Monday, associate sociology professor Jack Trammel became the Democrats' candidate for the 7th District seat, a job no one else wanted to take on. The next day, Brat, a professor of economics at the college, staged his upset.
Suddenly, Randolph-Macon College has become the epicenter of congressional politics in Virginia. College Provost William Franz says professors both are well-regarded by their colleagues and students.
It's All Politics
Meet David Brat, The Giant-Killer Who Knocked Off Eric Cantor