Hurry! Wednesday Deadline for Steve Landes’ Delegate Seat

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Any Republican hoping to replace [Steve] Landes in the House will have to act fast. The district’s GOP committee has called an April 27 firehouse primary. According to the nomination rules, candidates wishing to run for the seat have to file paperwork and pay a $1,000 fee by 5 p.m. Wednesday.

By the time Steve Landes held his press conference Tuesday afternoon to announce he would not run for re-election to the House of Delegates seat he had held since 1996, the deadline to file for the seat was barely more than 24 hours away.

Not much time for most folks to research running for a delegate seat that no one expected to be open.

It reminded of another instance in 2015 when Sen. Ralph Smith announced his retirement 48 hours before the deadline, and in the same breath endorsed his legislative aide, David Suetterlein, something I wrote about at the time.

Radio host John Fredericks wrote about it, too.

The sentiments at the time apply now.

Cover photo by Lynn R. Mitchell