( CNN ) -- What a difference 24 hours makes . Jack Trammell unanimously won the Democratic nomination for Virginia 's 7th Congressional District seat at the party convention last weekend . That 's because no one else wanted to run against Rep. Eric Cantor , the second most powerful Republican in the House . But after Cantor 's shocking defeat in his primary Tuesday against political novice Dave Brat , Trammell 's candidacy has a whole new meaning . Democrats have a bit more hope in this Republican district , now that the upstart Democrat is up against an upstart Republican -- both of whom are professors at the same college . `` Now it 's going to be a grass-roots race to get out their base , '' Ashley Bauman , press secretary for the Virginia Democratic Party , said . Trammell is not your average politician . He works a small family farm , where he lives with his wife and seven children . He teaches disability studies and is director of Disability Support Services at Randolph-Macon College , a small liberal arts school outside Richmond that has just over 1,000 students . He is a prolific writer , author of more than 20 books , both fact and fiction , including a children 's book . His latest tome is about the Virginia slave trade and he is currently writing a novel about vampires . A Civil War buff , he has also written dozens of columns on the Civil War for the Washington Times . While his bio says he worked for Bill Clinton 's presidential campaigns in Kentucky , he is a political amateur . His online political presence is minimal . His Twitter account is brand new and has two tweets . His campaign Facebook page was built Monday , after he won the Democratic nomination . On the page he received advice from supporters , suggesting he build a campaign website and include a `` donate now '' button . Others suggested he lose his facial hair . By the morning after Cantor 's defeat , Trammell heeded the advice of his supporters . He was able to put up a campaign website , which is still sparsely populated and only includes a three-paragraph bio , an e-mail signup to get involved , and that essential button for contributions . The Democratic Party is shielding Trammell from the press for now , intercepting his media requests and offering surrogates instead . The academic has a lot to learn and not a lot of time . But his statement after the Republican primary results indicates he 's a fast learner , as it echoed the message of national Democrats . `` I am running because I believe Virginians are hungry for a radical change from the dysfunctional and reckless politics being practiced by those in Congress -- and the results of tonight 's primary election are the proof , '' he said in a statement after Brat 's insurgent victory . The 7th District is very conservative , with the Cook Political Report maintaining its political rating as solid Republican . But with two political novice college professors running against each other , anything could be possible . With Brat 's victory , the impossible has already happened once in this district . Eric Cantor loses primary in big upset ; Lindsey Graham avoids runoff . Cantor 'earthquake ' rattles Capitol Hill . Opinion : Who said the tea party was dead ?
Lindsey Graham is the Democratic challenger in Virginia 's 7th District . He is a college professor from Cantor college . He has never run for office but has written three books . The district is solidly Democratic but Cantor 's defeat shook the district .