Seventh Congressional District Nomination Process

For gun owners who live in the 7th Congressional District, the GOP nomination process to select a candidate to challenge anti-rights Abigail Spanberger will be a nominating convention.  While this is not the most optimum nominating process, limiting the process to party activists, gun owners can file to be delegates to the nominating convention.  You must prefile as a delegate prior to the meeting and each locality in the district has a different filing date.  There are several candidates from which to choose.  They are:

7th District Republican Candidates

• Mike Dickinson
• Craig Ennis
• Nick Freitas
• Pete Greenwald
• Andrew Knaggs
• John McGuire
• Tina Ramirez
• Jason Alexander Roberge
• Bridgette Williams

Two of the above are members of the House of Delegates - Delegate Nick Freitas and Delegate John McGuire.  They both have an excellent voting record on Second Amendment issues in the General Assembly. Gun owners when choosing a candidate should not only consider their record on our issue, but also the candidate that would stand the best chance of defeating Spanberger.  The 7th District leans GOP and Spanberger won in 2016 by only a small percentage of the vote.  Gun owners can't take a chance on nominating an individual that will give Spanberger an open path to re-election.  Delegates Freitas and McGuire likely offer the best chance of beating Spanberger.  Gun owners need to be active in the nominating process.  Click the links above to each candidate and make you own decision, then choose your locality below and file to be a delegate to the 7th District nominating convention.  Please note if you live in Louisa County, the prefiling deadline passed before VSSA received the below information.

STATUS OF COUNTIES (PREFILES AND CALLS)

Amelia N/A GOP Business Meeting date pending

Chesterfield PREFILE https://virginia.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2020-Delegate-Membership-Filing-Form.pdf DEADLINE, 5pm, Friday, March 20th (Postmarks do not apply)

CALL TO CANVAS https://virginia.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Amended-Chesterfield-GOP-2020-Canvass-Call-Final.pdf

Culpeper PREFILE FORM https://virginia.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/delegate-membership-filing.pdfilingcorrected.docx DEADLINE, 9pm, Saturday, MARCH 7th (Postmarks do not apply)

CALL TO CANVAS https://virginia.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Canvass-call-2020.pdf

Goochland PREFILE https://goochland.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/APPROVED_2020-Combined-Application-form.pdf DEADLINE, 8:30pm, Wednesday, March 18th (Postmarks do not apply)

CALL TO MASS MEETING https://goochland.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/APPROVED_2020.3.28-GCRC-Mass-Meeting-Call.pdf

Henrico PREFILE https://www.henricogop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Form-2020-Henrico-County-Republican-Committee-Mass-Meeting-For-Publication.pdf DEALINE, 5pm, Saturday, March 21st(Postmarks do not apply) CALL TO MASS MEETING https://www.henricogop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2020-HCRC-Reconstitution-Call-For-Publication.pdf

Louisa PREFILE FORM DEADLINE has passed

CALL TO MASS MEETING https://virginia.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/final-Call-louisa-correct-info.pdf

Nottoway N/A GOP Business Meeting MARCH 5th

Orange PREFILE FORM https://virginia.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/OFFICIAL-ROCC-pre-file-form-2020.pdf DEADLINE 6pm, Wednesday, March 4th(Postmarks do not apply)

CALL TO MASS MEETING https://virginia.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/OFFICIAL-Call-for-2020-ROCC-Mass-Meeting.pdf

Powhatan PREFILE FORM https://virginia.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2020-PCRC-Convention-Canvass-Filing-Form-1-1.pdf DEADLINE, 5pm Wednesday, March 18th (Postmarks do not apply)

CALL TO CANVAS https://virginia.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Powhatan-County-Republican-Committee-2020-Call-to-Canvass.pdf

Spotsylvania PREFILE FORM https://virginia.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/SCRC-2020-Prefiling-Form-1.pdf DEADLINE, 7pm Friday, March 20th (Postmarks do not apply)

CALL TO MASS MEETING https://virginia.gop/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/SCRC_Official_Call.pdf

Primary Day in Virginia's 7th District

Polls will be open for another five hours in Virginia's 7th District where there has been a hotly contested race pitting NRAPVF Endorsed Congressman Eric Cantor and Tea Party favorite challenger Dave Brat.  Most pundits believe Cantor will come out on top. The question is, will it be a blowout or will it be closer than should be expected for a candidate with millions in campaign cash and an opponent who raised less than $100,000.  What little money Brat has had was dumped into radio ads attacking Cantor on amnesty for illegal aliens.  The ads have run during the Rush Limbaugh program for the last couple of weeks.  The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire blog noted  yesterday that the Cantor's winning margin may give an indication of where the House of Representatives goes on the issue of amnesty for illegals.

The Virginia primary comes in a political season when most challengers trying to dislodge incumbents because they are too soft on immigration have failed, or likely to fail. But the anti-immigration side may score a measure of victory if their campaigns push lawmakers closer to their side, even if they are not defeated.

Responding to Mr. Brat, Mr. Cantor has repeatedly emphasized he work to block “amnesty” for “illegal aliens.”

If Brat holds Cantor to just a few points over 50%, Cantor may determine it is in the GOP's best interest not to address the issue until after the November elections so as not to depress their base vote. If Cantor trounces Brat with a vote total of 60% or more, he may take it as a signal the GOP has noting to fear and push forward with an immigration vote before November.  Either way, most voters in the 7th District are going to be happy when today is over.  The winner is assured of going to Congress next January as no Democrat has qualified for the ballot as of today.

Is Brat's Challenge to Eric Cantor More Symbolism than Substance?

That is what is inferred in the last paragraph of a recent Jeff Schapiro article in the Richmond Times Dispatch:

Brat acknowledges that defeating Cantor is the longest of long shots. Turning out 600 people for a district convention is one thing. Turning out 6,000 voters in a district-wide, open-to-all primary is quite another. Brat’s people do believe they can deeply wound Cantor, by holding his majority in the primary to the low double-digits. That would be fighting fire with fire.

For all the talk that "conservatives" think Cantor has strayed off the reservation, he still has an American Conservative Union score of 84 for 2013, which is the second highest score in the Virginia delegation.  Cantor also had an A+ rating from the NRA-PVF in 2012 and he has done nothing in the last two years that would likely change that (the NRA-PVF has not posted ratings for the June 10th Primary as of this writing).

But, if those who have an axe to grind with Cantor could "wound" him by holding his vote total below say, 60% (the % of the vote he usually wins in a general election) then they could claim a "moral" victory and hope to find a candidate in two years who could raise money and give Cantor a real run for his money.  The last time that happened was in 2000 when he won the nomination against an under-financed State Senator Steve Martin.  Unlike Brat however, Martin had worked the district hard for years expecting Cantor's predecessor, Thomas J. "Tom" Bliley would retire at some point.  That primary was the last time Cantor had a close race.

The anti-Cantor forces scored a small victory this past Saturday when the chairman of the 7th Congressional District Republican Committee was defeated for re-election.  It adds to the number of local committees taken over by the Tea Party since 2012.  Their next battle will likely be to change the nominating process from primary to nominating convention.  That task will be as difficult as taking out Cantor in a primary since state law gives the incumbent the say in how he will be re-nominated.

There is a lesson in this for gun owners.  No one expected the incumbent chairman to lose.  Bearing Drift noted after Saturday's 7th District Republican Convention that he lost because "status quo" conservatives were sitting on the sidelines.  The Tea Party folks were energized enough and showed up on a beautiful Saturday in Richmond to win a narrow victory.  Gun owners can never get complacent lest we meet the same fate.

Virginia Democrat Congressional Candidate Calls NRA Supporters "Pure Trash"

Boy, Democrats in Virginia's 7th Congressional District sure have themselves a real live one for a candidate this year.  As the only announced Democrat to challenge incumbent Eric Cantor in November (Cantor still has to get past Dave Brat in the June 10th primary), Mike Dickinson has taken to Twitter the last couple of days to attack NRA members.

@danieljpayne @HustlerMag @NRA that the NRA is a god awful fear mongering group and those who support the NRA are pure trash
— DickinsonForCongress (@VoteMike2014) April 5, 2014

And here's another:

Members of the @NRA have very low IQs. They have a trigger finger mentality.
— DickinsonForCongress (@VoteMike2014) April 5, 2014

Dickinson calls NRA a "tiny group" with a big mouth, and using as justification for that description the NRA only has 4.8 million members while AARP has 83 million.  Then, he says he doesn't want the support of NRA members:

If you are a member or supporter of the @NRA I don't want your support. Joining the @NRA is like joining the crybaby association
— DickinsonForCongress (@VoteMike2014) April 5, 2014

Now, I don't know how many NRA members live in the 7th Congressional District, but there a lot of NRA members in Virginia, so if you are automatically going to write off a large chunk the population you are seeking to represent, doesn't it beg the question just how serious are you about the campaign?  A quick look at his Twitter feed gives us a glimpse of the type of person this guy is.

And it seems that at least some 7th District Democrats are none to pleased with their candidate.  Back in February, Dickenson spoke at the Spotsylvania Democratic Committee and received a grilling based on this Free Lance-Star Report:

But Spotsylvania Democratic Committee member Richard Toye told Dickinson that he thought there was “no way” that the 7th District Democratic Committee would nominate him at its convention. So far, no other Democrats have announced plans to seek the party’s nomination.

Toye expressed concern about Dickinson’s lack of experience and business dealings with strip clubs, among other issues. Dickinson said he has done consulting work for adult-oriented businesses.

If no other Democratic candidates come forward, “I’d have to support that no-candidate option” at the convention, Toye told Dickinson.

It also appears, based on the same article, that the NRA is not the only group of voters that Dickinson has singled out for attack:

Another item of contention was Dickinson’s recent letter to the editor of The Free Lance–Star claiming that a group of women in the Chesterfield County Democratic Committee opposed his candidacy because of his “background in business with adult clubs.” He wrote that “judging people by outdated stereotypes is exactly what Democrats are supposed to be against.”

Opal Stroup, a Spotsylvania Democratic Committee member, told Dickinson that she took exception to his letter. “You’re asking us to donate money to you, you’re asking us to work our butts off for you but then you write a letter to the editor that attacks women in Chesterfield,” Stroup said “Do you think that’s a real wise strategy?”

It remains to be seen if the 7th District Democratic Committee will vote to nominate Mr. Dickerson.  If they do, based on his Twitter feed, look for him to continue the gutter politics he has been practicing since announcing his run.

Update: A reader notes that Dickinson's Twitter account has been suspended.
Update 2: Dickinson failed to file as a candidate with the 7th District Democratic Committee by last week's April 10 deadline so the Committee has canceled the nominating committee.  The winner of the June 10th Republican Primary will for all intent and purposes be the occupant of the 7th District Congressional seat in Congress when the November General Election is over. Hat tip Cam and Company