Republicans in Virginia’s newly-redistricted seventh congressional district voted to hold a primary for the nomination of their candidate to challenge likely Democratic nominee incumbent Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia-07.) At the Saturday morning meeting, the Seventh Congressional District Republican Committee also adjusted their leadership to compensate for shifts due to redistricting; they picked Caroline County GOP Chairman Jeff Sili to lead the committee until they elect a new chairman in the spring.
“It’s like offering the vote to the whole state. Also, a primary provides lots of data to both parties,” Susan Sili told The Virginia Star.
She shared her husband Jeff’s thinking on the primary since he was using his tractor to help a constituent.
Caroline County was previously in Congressman Rob Wittman’s (R-VA-01) district.
“I think he [Jeff] came away from the seventh district meeting very, very pleased with the new people that he met,” Susan Sili said.
She said that Wittman got good crossover support from Caroline County democrats, a region that was reliably Democratic for decades until going for Trump in 2016. The seventh district GOP nominee should be able to do the same thing with a focus on inclusivity.
“I think Jeff would tell you that we owe that to elected representatives who purpose to represent everybody. I know that doesn’t sound like the wife of a Republican chairman, but being inclusive is just a winning strategy,” Susan Sili said.
The primary will be run by the Virginia Department of Elections in June. Other districts are considering whether to choose a convention or a primary to nominate their candidates. Traditionally, conventions are favored by those who fear Democratic interference in the process, or who want a more conservative candidate. Primaries are preferred as a way to get more electable candidates, and as a more small-d democratic process.
In addition to the seventh district, Virginia’s second and tenth congressional districts are targets for GOP flips after redistricting, and the Tenth District GOP Committee held a reconstituting meeting on Monday evening, with a vote on nomination method planned for the future. The Second Congressional District Committee is scheduled to vote on Wednesday to decide on its nomination method. Chairman Dennis Free said they will likely pick a primary, a pattern continuing from the previous two committee chairs.
“Traditionally at the congressional contest we have supported a primary. We have for all of my administration,” Free told The Star.
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Virginia Capitol” by Farragutful. CC BY-SA 4.0.
