The Republican Party of Virginia has 53,524 delegates registered, as of Tuesday, to participate in the RPV unassembled convention at 39 locations on May 8. That’s an all-time record that speaks to party enthusiasm, according to RPV Chairman Rich Anderson’s remarks at a Tuesday debate. Anderson said the last time the RPV was this energized was in 2009 with Bob McDonnell leading the ticket.
“I have not seen this fire, this vigor, this energy at this level since,” Anderson said. “Intuitively and indisputably, that is the largest state party convention ever in American history. We are going to win.”
Many of those delegates’ registration forms were accepted without being fully completed, according to reporting Thursday by NBC. Party officials decided to accept applications as long as they had voter names and addresses, even if the forms lacked signatures or voter ID numbers. NBC obtained a certified list of delegates showing 5,700 of the delegates did not have voter ID numbers listed.
Cox’s Ranked-Choice Voting Strategy
The nomination convention will use ranked-choice voting, which has led candidates to develop strategies to make sure they are delegates’ second choice as well as first choice.
“Look, I understand I might not be everyone’s first choice. But if I’m not your first choice, I really appreciate you putting me down as your second,” Delegate Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) said in a new ad on Tuesday.
He followed that up Thursday with a message to delegates for the convention. “While no one can profess to be in agreement with someone 100 percent of the time, I do think we need more civility in our politics — so I’m not afraid to say a nice thing about my political opponents,” he wrote in the message which he published on Twitter.
The message lists all six of Cox’s opponents. He praised Senator Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) for her authenticity, Sergio De la Peña for his service and inspirational story, Peter Doran for having innovative ideas, Octavia Johnson for being unafraid of the fight, and Glenn Youngkin for being a man of faith. He also praised Pete Snyder for his work on the Virginia 30-Day Fund helping small business.
Cox said, “Things get heated in political campaigns, but even in the midst of that I think it’s okay to recognize the work Pete and Burson did to help those in need.”
He closed his letter, “If you’re putting one of my friends listed above as number one, then I hope you’ll consider me as your second choice.”
Glenn Youngkin Highlights Pro-Police Policy
On Wednesday, Glenn Youngkin launched the ‘Law Enforcement for Glenn’ coalition and promised to veto anti-police legislation.
“As governor, I will veto anti-police legislation and will fight to get them the funding, training and resources they need to do their jobs well and safely. I will make sure the brave men and women who seek to protect and serve their communities know that we have their back, because they have ours. I will oppose all efforts to end qualified immunity,” he said.
The coalition consists of nine current and former elected law enforcement officials, including Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman, City of Virginia Beach Sheriff Ken Stolle, and former Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Tracci. The coalition is led by Melissa Robey, who found police advocacy organization We Back Blue.
“Glenn Youngkin supports the men and women in blue. I am honored to lead the ‘Law Enforcement for Glenn’ Coalition, which will build upon the enthusiasm for Glenn’s candidacy and focus on leading policies that stand up for our law enforcement officers who risk their lives everyday to keep our communities safe,” Robey said.
Chapman said, “Glenn Youngkin is a fresh face for Virginia Republicans, and the candidate most likely to defeat Terry McAuliffe and his partisan agenda in November. For these reasons, I endorse Glenn Youngkin for governor, and urge all delegates to the upcoming Republican Convention to do the same. Electing a conservative leader with respect for our Constitution and the rule of law is vital.”
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Virginia Capitol” by Anderskev. CC BY 3.0.
