David Brat, the grassroots-fueled candidate who defeated Eric Cantor in the GOP primary in Virginia's 7th congressional district, is an academic economist at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. As anyone who's been in college in the age of the internet knows, that means he's got a page on RateMyProfessors.com - a page where students can submit their reviews.
The reviews for David Brat paint a picture of a well-liked professor who often had high demands of his students. Also, he has the coveted "hot chili pepper" on his profile - the symbol of a professor students think is particularly attractive.
Brat is "charming" and "knows how to incorporate real world examples to keep the class exciting and relatable," writes one typical reviewer. But Brat can "change assignments" and "sometimes it's unclear what he wants you to do." The review ends, "he's total eye candy!!"
Others write that Brat is "talented, humorous, and helpful"; "unparalleled in his knowledge"; "drills the material into your head"; and "one of the best teachers I have had."
They're not all good, though. Among "poor quality" reviews, Brat received comments like "not a great teacher... great guy, but almost too smart to teach"; and "no one ever understood what he wanted us to do... he was almost never there when we needed help."
One reviewer objected, writing that "the other comments that say he was not clear are BS. If you need clarity ask questions! I did and everything became very clear and apparent... really cares, great guy."
Whether any of these comments about his character or how he handles his assignments translates to Washington remains to be seen.