Tea party Republican Dave Brat’s stunning upset over House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the Virginia primary should be a wake-up call for establishment Republicans, Democratic campaign consultant Douglas Schoen told
Newsmax TV’s "America’s Forum."
"This gives the Democrats something of a lifeline," Schoen said. "It allows them to continue to run against the tea party. The person who I think should be most worried is Mitch McConnell." McConnell, the Senate minority leader, is running for re-election in Kentucky.
Cantor’s "convincing defeat" shows the unpopularity of the GOP leadership and "so far the Republican fissures are getting bigger and bigger," he added.
On the subject of President Barack Obama’s decision to swap Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five senior members of the Taliban, Schoen said he wouldn’t characterize it as a "mistake," but rather a "misguided series of choices that require and will hopefully get further investigation."
"We need to hear from the entire administration to understand why, how and what happened and to avoid this in the future," Schoen said.
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