Cantor Defeat Highlights Immigration Debate

Two days after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's primary loss, lawmakers are scrambling to decide who will take his place when he steps down at the end of July. An election to fill the position is scheduled for a week from Thursday.

Many believe the Virginia lawmaker's support for immigration reform played a role in his defeat.

CBN News Chief Political Correspondent David Brody agreed.

"The problem here was Eric Cantor couldn't get away from talking about the amnesty issue and that really hurt him - as opposed to Lindsey Graham down in South Carolina, another senator who actually won, who also is pro-immigration reform," Brody said.

"The difference is Lindsey Graham was able to change the topic and was able to talk about how the president is out of touch on Benghazi and a lot of other things, so Graham was able to do that. Cantor was not," he said.

President Barack Obama rejected the idea that Cantor's loss means immigration reform is dead.

But Brody said Cantor's defeat makes it unlikely anyone in Republican leadership will be inclined to take up the issue.