This week, Cantor’s opponent in the June 10 primary — a tea party activist named David Brat — is gaining national attention as a potential threat to Cantor’s hold on his solidly Republican, suburban Richmond district. Brat has won support from some big-name conservatives and has tapped into discontent across Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. On Wednesday, Brat planned to travel to Washington to meet with leading conservative agitators, a sign that his effort is starting to be taken seriously at the national level…

Brat remains a long shot; according to first-quarter federal filings, his campaign had about $40,000 in the bank, while Cantor’s had $2 million.

But Brat has won the favor of national conservative heroes Ann Coulter and syndicated talk-radio host Mark Levin. And on Wednesday, he was scheduled to attend a breakfast in Washington hosted by the anti-tax activist Grover Norquist and a lunch with conservative operatives.

Zachary Werrell, Brat’s campaign manager, said the candidate has enjoyed a significant boost in fundraising since the weekend convention and now has twice as much cash on hand as in the last filing period.