Posted on 10/13/2007 5:16:49 PM PDT by RDTF
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia Republicans will hold a convention instead of a primary to choose their candidate to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. John W. Warner, upsetting critics who say it makes the party appear closed off. The state party's central committee voted 47-37 on Saturday in favor of a convention. No date or location was decided.
Former Gov. Jim Gilmore and U.S. Rep. Tom Davis have expressed interest in seeking the GOP nomination. Supporters of Gilmore wanted a convention, while Davis backers had argued for a primary.
John Warner, 80, announced in August he would not seek a sixth consecutive Senate term next year. Two weeks later, Democrat Mark R. Warner—a popular multimillionaire former governor who is not related to the senator—announced his candidacy for the seat.
Supporters of a convention argued that it's more economical and that the party would avoid a divisive public squabble between GOP rivals in a primary. Republicans locked in a bitter primary, they said, would spend millions of dollars tearing each other down while the Democrats stockpiled contributions.
"Mark Warner's already got a 60 percent approval rating. We have to go up against that. We cannot have that and air our dirty laundry, so we have to keep it in-house," Bruce Meyer, GOP chairman for the 2nd Congressional District, told the committee.
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(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
I prefer the primary instead of candidates getting chosen in some smoky backroom.
TRANSLATION: Upsetting RINOs who were looking to drag liberal non-Republicans into the process in order to get another liberal.
North was nominated by convention in 1994, wasn’t he? So was Obenshain in 1978.
I don’t know if it matters any more, considering how few conservatives vote in Republican primaries.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/1007/Virginia_GOP_opts_to_nominate_by_convention.html
October 13, 2007
Virginia GOP opts to nominate by convention
Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) suffered a setback today for a future Senate campaign, as the Virginia GOP’s Central Committee opted to select the party’s nominee through a convention, not a primary.
The state’s 85-member committee, comprised of GOP activists, chose the convention by a sizable 10-vote margin.
Davis and his allies were lobbying for a primary, while his likely GOP opponent, former governor Jim Gilmore, preferred a convention. Conservative activists dominate the GOP conventions, and Davis’ home base of Northern Virginia is usually underrepresented among GOP activists. By contrast, anyone can vote in a GOP primary — including Democrats — because the state does not register voters by party.
Davis has said that a primary was crucial for his campaign, so he could increase his name recognition outside Northern Virginia. Some political observers have questioned whether he will even jump in the race, given his obstacles for both the nomination and in the general election.
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When I was a kid, every nomination that I remember was by convention.
The states can even choose to do that with electors for POTUS if they so choose, and I remember a couple of those in the mid 60s.
yep!
I disagree. A primary in Virginia (since ALL VOTERS can vote in a primary) means the Democrat voters pick the Republican nominee...that is WRONG!
A Convention is the right way to go, so Republicans can pick the Republican nominee.
Liberals like RINO Davis like primaries because dems love to vote for the most liberal Republican.
This is how we got stuck with RINO John Warner.
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