RPV State Central Elections – A Move in the Right Direction
For the first time in years, it appears that the Republican Party of Virginia is getting its act together. This weekend’s RPV State Central Committee elections to fill a variety of senior office positions demonstrated that State Central has turned the corner, and the era of the party apparatus being controlled by the self-proclaimed but rarely consistent “true conservatives” has finally come to an end.
It couldn’t have happened fast enough. The adults are finally back in charge of the major decision-making at RPV.
Make no mistake – it was a close run thing. A number of State Central slots during the district convention period went to people who could only win in a convention, like Fredy Burgos and Ron Hedlund, and who have since demonstrated they do not possess the political judgment required for the offices they hold. They will likely be a thorn in the side of Chairman Whitbeck and the rest of SCC over the next few years – assuming they retain their positions. Some of the votes this weekend, beginning with the reelection of First Vice Chair Mike Thomas, were very tight, with one or two votes either way making the difference.
Yet at the end of the weekend, we saw rational, experienced Republican leaders ensconced in most of the open positions on State Central. Thomas’s reelection provides stability and his experience and skill will help guide the organization forward. It also thwarts the transparent goals of those who would rather see a yes-man puppet serving in the First Vice Chair slot. Nancy Dye’s election in the west, coupled with the election of Jill Cook as Secretary add needed geographical diversity to the office positions, and both are solid Republicans with years of experience at the local unit level to guide them. Nancy, having run for office, adds that perspective to the table, a perspective that is sorely needed. At the same time, they both provide fresh eyes and ears on the party’s governing body.
The addition of John Selph as Treasurer, one of the most experienced men in Virginia when it comes to political party campaign finance, is also welcome.
The results of the last round of elections has put the final nail into the coffin of the Cuccinelli/Moulton machine that has controlled RPV, for better or for worse, since 2012. While remnants of that organization remain – Steve Albertson, among others – they do not have the power to dictate their will to the rest of the body as they have in the past. That means, hopefully, that we will start to see some of the more inclusive reforms that are sorely needed at RPV gain traction – things like greater transparency, ending the abused proxy system, more accountability from State Central on the behavior of its members and the willingness of the body as a whole to put the best interests of the party before their personal agendas and cronyism.
It’s also important to note that despite the best efforts of some, led by Albertson and the rump of the “Conservative Fellowship,” to continue their slash and burn attacks on Mike Thomas and others, that type of campaigning was not sufficient to change the outcome of any of the elections this weekend. Hopefully this is the start of a new era where the types of foolish vitriol tossed at men like Thomas, Ray Allen and others have the opposite of its intended effect. That type of thing needs to go away because it is deterring good people from participating in the party at all levels – nobody wants to step up and volunteer for these jobs, the kind of jobs that come with a small amount of power and a large amount of headache, if they know they’ll be subject to public ankle biting from the authors of some of the worst examples of debased political yellow journalism masquerading as analysis the online media in Virginia has to offer.
What isn’t clear, however, is what the future nominating processes will be for statewide offices here in Virginia. Not every member of State Central is on public record as to their preferred nomination method, including some of those who were elected this weekend. While it appears, at first glance, that this was a victory for the “primary” faction, if it was, it was a close victory. Since, contrary to widely held belief, State Central has not chosen a nomination method for the 2017 gubernatorial and other statewide offices, this will be an issue that will be closely watched over the coming months. This is a new State Central, with new members, and it should make its decision on the 2017 nomination method free from any claims of deals or compromises that may have been struck by their predecessors, just as the 2012 State Central did. That is, after all, the immediate precedent.
On a personal level, I’m pleased to see good friends that I have fought alongside for years, like Mike Thomas, John Selph, and Jill Cook, be recognized for their hard work by having their peers entrust them with these offices. Mike is one of the smartest guys I know, John was invaluable to many of us for his help with our campaigns over the years, and there is almost nobody in Fairfax County who works harder than Jill Cook.
It’s good to finally feel like RPV is moving in the right direction.
