Breaking: RPV repeals party pledge for March 1 presidential primary – Updated

At their meeting Saturday in Richmond, the Republican Party of Virginia’s State Central Committee voted unanimously to repeal the party statement of affiliation, referred to as a loyalty oath, for Virginia’s 2016 GOP Presidential Primary to be held on March 1. The oath required voters to sign a pledge stating they were Republican.

State Central originally voted for the pledge in the effort to block Democrats from participating but were immediately met with an outcry of protests. Not surprising, considering previous loyalty oaths had caused the same negative feedback in the past.

The Virginian-Pilot has more.

UPDATE 1: Read Brian Schoeneman’s thoughts about this decision.

UPDATE 2: RPV’s press release regarding the Statement of Affiliation repeal:

The Republican Party of Virginia’s (RPV) State Central Committee (SCC) voted unanimously by acclimation this afternoon to rescind the Statement of Affiliation tied to the voting in the Republican Primary on March 1, 2016.

The SCC originally had approved the statement in September 2015, but the Democrat-controlled State Board of Elections altered and adopted a form – created by the Department of Elections – that retained only 9 of the original 47 words written and adopted by the SCC. Critically, McAuliffe’s Department of Elections replaced GOP branding on the original form with intimidating language meant to dampen turnout. Further, Attorney General Mark Herring compounded the problem with the addition of confusing legal guidance that would have made the day of the Republican Presidential Primary a logistical nightmare.

The SCC motion made clear that it was motivated not by any disagreement about the Party’s right of free association under the First Amendment to the US Constitution, but in recognition that Governor Terry McAuliffe’s administration and Attorney General Herring had purposely created a situation designed to confuse voters intending to participate in the March 1 Republican Presidential Primary.

RPV Chairman John Whitbeck fully supported the SCC’s decision. “Hillary Clinton’s campaign is imploding and Democrats are poised to potentially nominate an admitted socialist. Now more than ever, Virginia will determine the future of Country, as voters will look to the Republican Party as the future of the Presidency. In light of this, we must put this issue to rest once and for all and move forward with the business of winning the White House in 2016.”