BY TYLER WHITLEY

Running as a Republican leader who wants to rein in government spending, Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, had another easy re-election victory Tuesday in one of the most Republican-leaning congressional districts in the country.

Democrat Anita Hartke of Culpeper County could never raise the money to mount an effective challenge to Cantor in the sprawling district, which stretches from the West End of Richmond, through suburban Chesterfield and Hanover counties, all the way west to Page County across the Blue Ridge Mountains.

By ignoring Hartke, Cantor never gave her a forum to make herself known.

The daughter of a former Indiana senator, Vance Hartke, who once ran for president, Hartke presented herself as someone who has to pay a mortgage, buy gas and take care of an aging mother.

Cantor, meanwhile, traveled across the country helping fellow Republican members of Congress. He was even vetted as a potential running mate for Sen. John McCain.

On being re-elected to a fifth term in Congress, Cantor said his first priority is to “address the economic turmoil in this country” and to bring relief to the families of America by reining in spending, encouraging small-business growth and making government accountable.

“We’re very much committed to fulfilling the trust and confidence and obligation the people of the 7th District have placed in me,” Cantor said. “It’s a huge honor.”

Cantor will return to Washington as the deputy minority whip. With Republicans losing House seats, whether he will survive a likely GOP leadership shakeup is unclear.

First elected to Congress in 2000 after narrowly winning a Republican primary, Cantor has never gotten less than 65 percent of the vote. In Congress, he has been reliably conservative, voting for tax cuts and opposing congressional earmarks.

The 45-year-old lawyer is the lone Republican member of the House who is Jewish. He serves on the prestigious House Ways and Means Committee.

Tyler Whitley is a staff writer at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

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