Cantor's Encore: From Majority Leader to Dealmaker-in-Chief

From the House Floor to the Deal Table: Eric Cantor's Second Act at Moelis & Company Few figures have moved between the worlds of Washington power and Wall Street dealmaking as seamlessly as Eric Cantor. Once the second-ranking Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, Cantor today serves as Vice Chairman of Moelis & Company and a member of its Board of Directors, advising clients from the firm's Washington, D.C. office on issues at the intersection of public policy and industry — a niche he has spent more than three decades preparing to occupy. A Rapid Rise in Republican Politics Cantor represented Virginia's 7th congressional district from 2001 to 2014, and his ascent through the House Republican ranks was among the fastest of his generation. He spent 12 of his 14 years in Congress in leadership positions, serving as chief deputy whip and then minority whip before being elected House Majority Leader following the Republican wave of 2010 — making him the highest-ranking Jewish member of Congress in American history. As Majority Leader from 2011 to 2014, Cantor led the House's public policy and legislative agenda. His signature legislative achievement was the passage of the JOBS Act (Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act) of 2012, a rare piece of bipartisan legislation signed by President Obama that eased securities regulations to help start-ups and emerging growth companies access capital. The law reshaped how young companies go public and raise money, and its effects are still felt across venture capital and equity markets today. Cantor was also a talent scout and movement-builder within his party. With Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan, he co-authored the New York Times bestseller "Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders," which became shorthand for a rising cohort of Republican lawmakers. His congressional career ended abruptly in June 2014, when he lost his primary to an insurgent challenger — a stunning upset that made him the first sitting House Majority Leader to be defeated in a primary. Rather than fade from public life, Cantor pivoted. The Moelis Years Months after leaving Congress, Cantor joined Moelis & Company, the global independent investment bank founded by Ken Moelis, as Vice Chairman and board member. The fit was deliberate: Moelis built its franchise on senior-level advice unconflicted by lending or trading, and Cantor brought something few bankers possess — a working command of how legislation, regulation, and geopolitics actually move through Washington. At Moelis, Cantor advises clients across industries on strategic matters shaped by policy: trade, regulation, national security reviews, and cross-border investment. His portfolio has grown more valuable as the line between markets and statecraft has blurred — tariffs, export controls, and industrial policy now sit at the center of boardroom decision-making. Beyond the firm, he has served on the U.S. Department of Defense Policy Bo