Laurence Verga, candidate for the GOP nomination in the Fifth Congressional District, has penned editorials for Red State and Virginia Tomorrow recently lamenting that the NRCC appears to be going four-square behind State Sen. Robert Hurt for the nomination. Verga wastes no time in in the Virginia Tomorrow piece going after Hurt’s more controversial votes:
“Sen. Hurt may impress D.C. insiders and Richmond lobbyists, but Virginians remember two of his disastrous votes on critical legislation while he was serving in Richmond: his votes for then Gov. Mark Warner’s (D-VA) $1.4 billion tax increase and for outgoing Gov. Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) unconstitutional transportation bill.”
and Verga also says in Red State:
In [NY-23], principled conservative Doug Hoffman surged in the polls and nearly won as the Conservative Party candidate. In the end, Hoffman was hamstrung by his ballot position and the liberal GOP nominee endorsing the Democratic candidate. And the result wasn’t just a missed opportunity; instead a seat that was held by a Republican for over 100 years went Democratic just in time for the new Congressman to provide half of the two vote margin needed for Speaker Nancy Pelosi to pass a left-wing bill that will lead to a government takeover of health care.
Clearly, Verga is portraying himself in the 5th as the conservative candidate. But he is also willing to fight for the nomination and not accept outside influences from undermining the competitive nature of such races for the heart and soul of the GOP. Verga writes:
“Conservatives and Republicans want to end the Democratic congressional majority next year. But I believe that the best way to do that is to allow for competition, which will ultimately provide the starkest contrast with conservative candidates running against the excesses and damaging left-wing policies of this administration and the Democratic Congress. ”
The decision for how the nomination will be settled will be decided on Dec. 12 by the 5th District Republican Party Committee.
