Sunday, May 31, 2009
Republicans must wait until November
Christian Trejbal
Recent columns
- Voters have only themselves to blame
- Money flows freely to local candidates
- Candidates contemplate a little big-box store
- Don't roll over for Sam's Club
From the RoundTable blog
On June 9, Virginia Democrats will elect candidates to run for governor and lieutenant governor in November. Republicans, however, do not want their voters to have a say in those decisions.
One of Virginia's electoral oddities is that primaries are optional. The political parties decide whether to hold them, and often they choose not to.
When party leaders worry that the rank and file might not vote for the anointed candidate, they convene a state convention to select a nominee. Technically just about anyone may attend, but in practice, only dedicated insiders show up. The difference is a couple of thousand loyalists at a convention or 150,000 or more voters in a primary.
This year, Democrats went with a primary. A week from Tuesday, the party's voters will choose Creigh Deeds, Terry McAuliffe or Brian Moran to carry their banner in November's gubernatorial election. Two candidates for lieutenant governor will also appear on the ballot. The party's candidate for attorney general is unopposed in the primary.
Republicans were less democratic (small-d) and went with a convention. They knew their candidate for governor would be Bob McDonnell last year when his only potential challenger, Bill Bolling, decided to seek re-election to lieutenant governor instead.
Unluckily for Bolling, a challenger, Patrick Muldoon, also wants to be lieutenant governor. Party members trekked to Richmond and chose between them. They also chose a nominee for attorney general from among three contenders.
Pick your hackneyed metaphor. Primaries are the crucible that leaves only the candidate who burns brightest and longest. Primaries are a Petri dish in which candidates fight for survival like so many protozoa. Primaries are natural selection at work, the fittest candidate emerging victorious to confront the other party's nominee and any third-party upstarts.
Primaries give Virginians a chance to shape the general election and have a greater voice in Richmond. Granted, turnout is often minuscule, but it is still larger and a bit more diverse than attendance at a party convention.
Yet too often, the parties cut their regular members out of the process, as Republicans are doing this year, and hold no primary. Four years ago, the GOP held one for all three top offices, and Democrats held one for lieutenant governor. But in 2001, only Democrats were on the primary ballot. In 1997, only Republicans for attorney general.
The problem applies to the General Assembly, too. No Demoratic or Republican House or Senate nomination in the New River Valley is contested this year.
If you'd like, blame average Virginians -- the sort of people who cannot identify Jody Wagner, Michael Signer, John Brownlee, Ken Cuccinelli and Dave Foster -- for the paucity of primaries. (The first two are the Democrats vying for lieutenant governor; the other three are the Republicans running for attorney general.)
Your thoughts
- Should Virginia Democrats and Republicans hold more primary elections? Post your thoughts at the RoundTable.
If regular voters raised a stink, the parties might hold primaries more often, increasing competition and bringing fresh ideas. New candidates could arise who might appeal to voters but would never receive the support of the party establishment.
Until then, the parties will be perfectly content to forgo primaries most of the time and elbow out contenders who will not likely win at a convention. After all, if they let anyone seek the nomination, they might end up with an interesting, fair, competitive race like this year's race between Moran, McAuliffe and Deeds. And there's nothing politicos like less than a fair fight.
The Dublin library cat
In April, I wrote a column about Belle, the cat who lives in the Dublin library. The Pulaski County Library Board was considering evicting Belle over concerns about safety and potential lawsuits.
Last week, the board voted to let Belle stay. Library staff will have to work with the Pulaski County Humane Society to come up with policies and procedures to ensure a safe, enjoyable library experience for both patrons and Belle, but she will continue to roam the stacks.
Congratulations to the Dubliners who lobbied their local government and won.
