House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s unexpected defeat has left many looking for equally unexpected answers. One suggestion is that his opponent, David Brat, was bolstered by Democratic crossover voters, who might have contributed to an increase in turnout from 2012. Mr. Cantor’s pollster, John McLaughlin, said the race was decided by Democratic voters.
But this was not a close race, and Democratic spoilers probably did not contribute enough votes to account for Mr. Cantor’s margin of defeat. CONT.
Nate Cohn, New York Times