Politics / Science & invention
Dave Brat
born 1964 · politician, economist, diplomat
Economics professor and Virginia congressman who unseated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in 2014; born in Detroit and raised in Alma, Michigan.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 62- Birth name
- David Alan Brat
- Also known as
- David Brat
- Field
- Politics, Science & invention
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Brat was born in Detroit in 1964, the son of a doctor of internal medicine and a social worker, and grew up in Alma, in central Michigan. He studied at Hope College, earned a divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary and a doctorate in economics at American University, and taught economics for many years at Randolph–Macon College in Virginia. In the 2014 Republican primary, backed by the Tea Party movement and heavily outspent, he defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the first time a sitting majority leader had lost a primary since the post was created in 1899. He represented Virginia's 7th district from 2015 until his defeat by Abigail Spanberger in 2018, then became dean of Liberty University's business school. In 2026 he was nominated and confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Australia.
Highlights
- Defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the 2014 primary
- U.S. Representative for Virginia's 7th district, 2015–2019
- Dean of the Liberty University School of Business from 2019
- Confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Australia, August 2026