The nomination method is still not set in stone
The State Central Committee for the Republican Party of Virginia voted last month to nominate their statewide candidates for 2021 by convention. The vote was close and caused controversy among members leading to a continuous effort from a small group to try and change the method to a primary.
For background, after the committee voted in favor of a nominating convention, Senator Amanda Chase (Chesterfield) stated that she would run as an Independent. The Senator believed that party insiders would ruin her chances as she is seeking the gubernatorial nomination. Chase quickly realized that she could not win as an Independent and changed her mind, announcing that she will participate in the Republican convention.
Moving forward, the committee is supposed to meet in the coming weeks to nail down the specifics of how the convention will operate. The vague-understanding in December was that it would be an unassembled convention, which is similar to a firehouse primary where voters meet at different locations across the Commonwealth. Supporters of the primary hope to use this opportunity to their advantage.
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