Ben Jones, the actor who played “Cooter” on the 1979 TV show “The Dukes of Hazzard,” said he actually helped with the Tuesday unseating of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and the rise of political newcomer Dave Brat.
Mr. Jones actually ran for Congress against Mr. Cantor in 2002, when he moved to Virginia, Newsmax reported. What he described as Mr. Cantor’s dirty campaign tactics still sting, he said.
“He questioned my patriotism. He made fun of me for ’The Dukes of Hazzard’ and being a Southerner,” Mr. Jones said, Newsmax reported. “He was condescending, and he was just snotty. So yeah, I feel good that he lost and I had something to do with it.”
Mr. Jones said his big contribution to Mr. Cantor’s political loss was that he penned a letter to The Huffington Post, trying to persuade Democrats in the district to vote in the primary and help bring a tea party candidate like Mr. Brat to power. Virginia has an open primary process that allows voters of either party to cast ballots for any candidate.
Following, Mr. Jones quipped to the New York Daily News: “Ain’t no freude like schadenfreude.”
Mr. Jones also said Mr. Cantor was actually one of his own worst enemies, and that led to his loss, too, Newsmax reported.
“What defeated Eric Cantor was hubris,” he said, during an “Out Front with Erin Burnett” segment on CNN. “You know, the Greeks warned against that and all. He got above his raising. He got too big for his britches.”
The former actor moved into politics years ago, serving as a congressman for the Democrat Party in Georgia for two terms. He lost a third bid for the seat in 1994.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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