President Barack Obama says he rejects the notion that Tuesday's stunning loss by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor means that an overhaul of immigration laws is now out of reach.
Obama says he "fundamentally rejects" that analysis and that he will tell Republican House Speaker John Boehner to reject it as well.
Obama made his remarks Wednesday to about 40 big-dollar donors who paid $32,400 to hear him speak in a Boston suburb. The money goes to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Cantor of Virginia lost his Republican primary race to an economics professor, Dave Brat, who was backed by the tea party. Brat labeled Cantor a supporter of amnesty for immigrants who are in the country illegally.
The Senate has already passed a sweeping immigration bill.