Dave Brat

Biography

David Alan Brat (born July 27, 1964) is an American politician and academic who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 7th congressional district from 2014 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 2014 after successfully primarying House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Brat narrowly lost re-election in 2018 to Democrat Abigail Spanberger.

Brat came to national prominence when he defeated the U.S. House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor, in the 2014 Republican primary in Virginia's 7th congressional district. His primary victory, which he achieved with the support of the Tea Party movement, made Brat the first primary challenger to oust a sitting House Majority Le...