The Washinton Post has a new poll on the changing composition of the electorate in Virginia, which lowkell has diaried this morning.
And what, exactly is the GOP reaction to this damaging news"
GOP opts for closed party pick.
Yep. That's right. A closed convention.
After all, a primary is a messy, expensive bit of business wherein the actual voters have a say in who represents them.
Virginia Republicans voted Saturday to nominate their 2008 U.S. Senate candidate in a convention rather than an open primary, giving a tactical victory to conservatives supporting a possible run by former Gov. Jim Gilmore.
The state party's central committee opted for a June convention by a vote of 47-37, despite pleas from some activists that a primary would allow for greater participation in the nominating process and open debate among candidates. The GOP nominee will seek the Senate seat held by Republican John Warner, who will retire when his fifth term expires in January 2009.
Now, for those of you not familiar with Virginia politics, former Gov. Jim Gilmore is the single least acceptable candidate the party has in the wings. He is a frightening winger, who plunged the state into debt with his "all tax cuts, all the time" mantra, showed a surprising inability to manage the reins of government, and pretty much pissed off everyone but the bible-thumpers who are convinced that their vision of society is the only acceptable one.
Former Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat who is not related to the incumbent senator, already has announced plans to seek the open seat.
Gilmore and U.S. Rep. Tom Davis, R- Fairfax County, are considering running. Davis, who is considered more moderate than Gilmore, favored a primary.
You know Mark Warner is the single most popular former Governor in any state, anywhere. He untangled the mess that Gilmore created and diplomatically uncovered Gilmores lies in ways that even the wingers could not ignore.
So the Virginia GOP is going to control the process in order to put forward a candidate who is roundly hated in this state, knee-cap a candidate who might al least make a run at Warner, and claim to do so in the name of economy.
Quite an electoral strategy!
I could not be more pleased.