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Former U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor endorses Garrison Coward for the 68th District of the Virginia House of Delegates

“I am excited to endorse Garrison Coward for the House of Delegates. Garrison will fight for improved education, safer communities and lower taxes.” -Former U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA 07)

Garrison Coward, [1] who announced earlier this month [2] that he would seek the Republican nomination for the 68th District Virginia House of Delegates seat, picked up a plum endorsement Tuesday from former U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

Richmond native Cantor noted of Garrison, “We need his conservative voice representing our values in Richmond.”

The 68th District covers parts of Henrico and Chesterfield counties as well as Richmond — areas that Cantor represented while in Congress. The delegate seat was formerly held by Republican Manoli Loupassi (2008-18) who lost in the blue wave of 2017 to Democrat Dawn Adams.

The endorsement is significant because of Eric Cantor’s long coattails, even four years after he left Congress. His influence and experience in Richmond run deep after his decades of service to the area, even once working as Rep. Tom Bliley’s driver. Cantor served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1992-2001, and then as Congressman from Virginia’s 7th District from 2001-14, where he was elected and served as Majority Leader from 2011-14. He is Vice Chairman and a Managing Director of Moelis & Company, and also serves on their Board of Directors. Serving as a member of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Executive Council on Infrastructure, he was named a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and is a member of the U.S. Department of Defense Policy Board.

Garrison, who is Chief Operating Officer of BizCents, a Henrico based data analytics firm, expressed gratitude for Cantor’s endorsement. “Whether a delegate in the Virginia House, or as Majority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, Eric Cantor has always been a leader with a long term vision for our Commonwealth and nation. I’ve always known him to fight for causes he believes in, and for a new generation of leaders. I’ll forever be thankful for his mentorship and leadership … I am honored to have his support.”

Garrison has also been endorsed by other influential Republicans including Young Republican Federation of Virginia Chairman Kishore Thota, 4th Congressional District Chairwoman Carey Lynn Allen, Pastor Joe Ellison, and Chesterfield Supervisor Christopher Winslow.

Garrison is a former political advisor and Campaign Manager to Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA01). Prior to joining Congressman Wittman, Garrison served as Political Director and Deputy Director of Minority Engagement, for the Republican Party of Virginia. He is the Executive Director of the Conservative Professionals Network of Virginia, which aims to engage a new generation of center-right thinkers on public-policy matters. In 2016, he was elected a Delegate to the Republican National Convention from Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.