Why is a white Republican better than a brown Democrat? I don’t know and can’t imagine, but factions within the Virginia Beach apparatus seem to think so. They’ve recently recruited a white Republican to run against Tracie Liguid; the Democratic candidate who filed 6 weeks ago.
The district has a huge Filipino-American community and the Democrats are running a Filipino woman, local educator and Democratic Party activist Tracie Liguid, and she was looking like she could take the seat. So what does the transpartisan-but-very-conservative establishment do to prevent that? They draft a Republican pretending to be a Democrat to run against Liquid in the Democratic primary. www.downwithtyranny.com/...
The Filipino-American community in the area is a strong voting block. The neighboring district, HD21 elected a Democratic Filipino, Kelly Fowler, and before that elected a Republican Filipino.
In 2017, a woman of colour, Veronica Coleman, lost to the Republican in HD84 by only about 700 votes. That was without any significant help from the Democratic Party. In 2019, Karen Mallard lost to the same Republican by around 500 votes and she got tons of support from the Party. Virginia’s HD 84 is considered a flippable district. This is a very winnable seat.
Blue Virginia did a piece on Melnyk and quickly revised it saying…
So…what’s the deal? If she’s actually a Republican, that’s obviously a non-starter. Now, *if* she’s honestly become a Democrat, then let’s hear her reasoning on that change of heart, her positions on the issues, etc. But unless/until that happens, this one definitely falls into the “thanks, but we’ll pass” category… bluevirginia.us/...
A quick Google search for Melnyk reveals her ties to the Republican party, and literature from the Republican Party of Virginia Beach has recognized her for being one of the region’s most prominent Republican women.
A Republican operative familiar with Virginia Beach politics said she has been active with the party for decades. While her seat on the school board is nonpartisan, she has consistently received tacit endorsements from the GOP. www.pilotonline.com/...
The Republican party of VB of Virginia Beach, likes her, they really like her!
We know changes of heart can happen, Kos, the owner of this site, was once a Republican as was Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton. But, come on, you can’t vote for Republicans all your life, choose Trump in November 2020, and barely 5 months later, decide to run as a Democrat.
Matt Rogers of Politidope, who is a candidate running for HD47 says...
Did a change of heart happen? When did it happen? What are your policy positions? Why should the Virginia Beach Democrats trust you over the person who announced several weeks ago? Is it a good look for the Virginia Beach Democrats to push out an AAPI candidate who has been talking with a local AAPI individual who serves in the House of Delegates? I think the individual could have fantastic answers to these questions, but they must be asked." www.downwithtyranny.com/...
It’s not uncommon in VB to have candidates allegedly switch parties in an attempt to win. There is a history of it happening in VA, though it’s certainly not unique to Virginia.
I’m baffled by how many Democrats have endorsed the prominent Republican though. Cheryl Turpin (who DK readers rallied around to get elected) endorsed her as well as City Council members, Aaron Rouse and Sabrina Wooten. (I reached out to all three and at the time of printing this article they had not returned my calls.)
Tracie Liguid, from a press release today:
Today, candidate for Virginia House of Delegates, District 84, Tracie Liguid calls on the Democratic Party of Virginia to renounce the candidacy of Kim Melnyk, a well-known and prominent Republican, now running in the Democratic primary.
This clearly is a ploy because she finds herself unelectable at this level as a Republican. This type of politics is the main reason why people across the Commonwealth and our nation have lost trust in government and public service.
I hope that all Democrats stay true to the values we believe in and will see this for what it is - a cynical, political maneuver.”
The primary is June 8th. Early voting begins April 24.
Everything I write, including, but not limited to, my name, belongs solely to me. Tracy B Ann
