Posted on 11/11/2007 7:59:39 AM PST by Clintonfatigued
At a raucous convention that drew more than 1,000 delegates to Caroline County, Wittman won the nod after trailing most of the night. His victory came at the expense of Paul Jost, the James City County businessman and anti-tax activist who built a solid lead in early voting and packed the hall with five busloads of supporters.
"I think folks just caught on to our message," said Wittman shortly after accepting the nomination. "We're just getting back to the basics of good government."
Wittman, 48, now becomes the favorite in the Dec. 11 special election called to replace Davis, who died in October after a battle with breast cancer. The 1st District, which stretches from Newport News to Prince William County, has a long history of backing Republicans by healthy margins. Relatively little known outside the Northern Neck, Wittman was the only elected official among the 11 GOP candidates and had a long tenure in local public office.
The convention's pivotal moment after the fifth ballot when Chuck Davis, the congresswoman's widower, threw his support to Wittman. Davis was considered a favorite to win the nomination, along with Jost.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailypress.com ...
This is something of a surprise. Everyone thought it was either Chuck Davis or Paul Jost.
That is a surprise. I’m glad Jost did not get it. The widower Davis knew that is what his wife would’ve wanted and he did the right thing.
BTW, when did Jost all of a sudden become “too Conservative” as per the article ? He was the RINO establishment choice who tried to buy the seat back in 2000.
The reason that Wittman was the only elected official to run was because all the others deferred to Chuck Davis, certain that he would be the nominee. As for Wittman himself, I don’t know where he stands on the political spectrum.
I found a little more about Wittman, and it’s not encouraging.
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-news_gop_1111nov11,0,923260.story
Jost was endorsed by the Club For Growth. I guess he switched alliances after losing that state Senate primary.
In which case, he’s just an opportunist. We don’t need that.
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