There is no registration by party in VA. No one knows what party, if any, you belong to. This loyalty oath is new for VA. I lived there for 36 years. It has never been done before.
When you go to vote, you are asked which primary you wish to vote in. You are then given a colored piece of paper and led to the voting machine or ballot with the party you selected. There is no way to verify what party you are in or if you are an independent. If the GOP requires an unenforceable loyalty oath, it will just suppress votes and turn off potential voters. The Dems don't require such an oath.
The GOP should change the law or hold their own primary funded by them. Right now, state taxpayer funds are used to fund the primaries. If the GOP really wants outreach in VA, they should not require a loyalty oath. Trump and Cruz can attract other voters across party lines and independents. In the general election, no loyalty oath is required.
The GOPe in VA would rather lose an election than see a conservative or an outsider elected. The former Rep Lt Governor, Bill Bolling, refused to endorse Ken Cuccinelli, the party nominee for Governor. The GOP mayor of Virginia Beach refused to endorse Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli barely lost.
Thanks for the info.