Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said Wednesday that President Obama never called him after he lost his June primary.
“Not a word,” said Cantor on CNBC’s Squawk Box, when asked if he heard from the president.
{mosads}“I did from the vice president several times and several of the members from both sides,” he added. “Obviously you have a lot of friendships there.”
Cantor hailed the GOP’s standout performance. Tuesday night’s midterms saw Republicans take the Senate and pick up at least 14 House seats, giving them their largest majority since the 1940s.
Cantor and Obama often had an icy relationship and the former Virginia lawmaker said time would tell if the president is willing to work with the new GOP Congress.
“I think we are going to be able to tell, not only from his standpoint but from the Republican standpoint, in the next six weeks about what 2015 will look like,” Cantor said.
The strength of the Republican showing Tuesday night surprised many political observers. But Cantor’s loss in June remains one of the most stunning moments of the election cycle.
Cantor was ousted by Dave Brat, an economics professor backed by the Tea Party. Critics said Cantor devoted more time to his leadership duties than to his district, but his internal polling ahead of the primary suggested he had little to fear from Brat and he significantly outspent the challenger.
On Election Day, Cantor spent the morning at a fundraiser at a Starbucks on Capitol Hill. But when returns started coming in, it was clear he was in trouble. Brat beat the GOP leader by double digits, 44 to 55.
Brat defeated his Democratic opponent by 24 points on election night.
Cantor resigned his seat in August and is now vice chairman and managing director of the investment bank Moelis & Company.