NYT Debunks Theory That Dem Voters Cost Cantor His Primary

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Va., accompanied by Rep. James Lankford, R-Okla., left, Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, to discuss the budge battle. P... House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Va., accompanied by Rep. James Lankford, R-Okla., left, Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, to discuss the budge battle. President Barack Obama summoned congressional leaders to the White House on the second day of a partial government shutdown that has furloughed hundreds of thousands of workers and closed military cemeteries as far away as France. Republican and Democratic leaders agreed to meet Wednesday afternoon but showed no signs of yielding. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci) MORE LESS
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After House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (R-VA) shocking loss in Tuesday’s primary, his pollster attributed the defeat to Democrats voting against Cantor in the primary in order to give their party’s nominee a better chance in the general election.

While some Democratic voters did vote in the Republican primary, the New York Times’ Nate Cohn wrote that based on the data, Democrats did not significantly contribute to Cantor’s defeat.

In more Democratic districts, there was higher turnout in Tuesday’s primary than there was for Ken Cucinelli, the GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2013.

However, turnout was even higher in Republican precincts, and Brat carried the precincts won by Cucinelli in 2013 with 56 percent of the vote, according to the Times.

“But it would be hard to argue that Democrats made up the margin of victory. Turnout was still far, far higher in Republican precincts. Democratic areas did not contribute a large number of votes: Only 5,722 votes were cast in precincts where Mr. Cuccinelli failed to eclipse 40 percent of the vote. Mr. Brat won by 7,212 votes over all,” Cohn wrote.

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