OUCH: Stewart’s GOP colleagues abandon him, endorse Gillespie

Ed Gillespie, at the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation debate in Goochland, today revealed huge new endorsements in his race for Governor.

Gillespie’s principal rival for the nomination is long-time Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart. To date, Stewart’s populist bombast has been ineffective in building support in his home base, with most Prince William conservatives choosing to sit out the race or back the more traditional conservative Ed Gillespie. This manifested most visibly in Stewart’s crushing defeat in the straw poll conducted at the Prince William County Republican Committee’s Lincoln/Reagan Dinner (losing with 24% of the vote compared to 62% for Gillespie).

More lately, as Stewart’s campaign has swung away from the merely Trumpian and into a full-blown Southern Nationalist crusade (highlighted by the embrace of individuals and groups whose beliefs in this regard are, shall we say, outside the mainstream), Stewart appears to have abandoned hopes of getting votes in urban and suburban areas in favor of a strategy of capturing a preponderance of votes elsewhere, mainly in the southern and western parts of the state.

Whether that strategy will work remains to be seen. Color me skeptical, because when you abandon big vote centers, they’ll abandon you right back.

Cue today’s endorsements.

Four of the 5 Republican members of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors announced today that they have decided to back Ed Gillespie over their Board colleague Corey Stewart. These are the most conservative members of the Board, including such grassroots stalwarts as Jeanine Lawson, Pete Candland, and Ruth Anderson. The only Republican on the Board who did not endorse was the notoriously “moderate” Maureen Caddigan.

More painfully for Corey Stewart, though, is the endorsement of Prince William Sheriff Glen Hill, who is the most senior elected African American Republican in the state. Hill had previously endorsed Stewart. He had this to say in withdrawing that endorsement and giving his support to Ed Gillespie:

Today, I am pulling my endorsement of Corey Stewart for Governor. He is a friend but his campaign has become more focused on division, rather than the unifying values and the history of the Republican Party. I now support Ed Gillespie to be our next Governor.” -Prince William Sheriff Glenn Hill

That’s gotta sting. These supervisors (Jeanine Lawson, Pete Candland, Ruth Anderson, and Marty Nohe) join Sheriff Hill, the Prince William delegation to the General Assembly, and two of the three Republicans on the county school board (Willie Deutsch and Allison Satterwhite) in endorsing Gillespie. (The third school board member is currently serving on active duty as part of his reserve commitment, and cannot engage in partisan politics at the moment). That means that every single elected Republican in Prince William County who has made an endorsement has endorsed Ed over Corey.

The people who know Stewart best have clearly and soundly rejected him. Given his painfully weak fundraising, and his ineffective messaging (are we draining the swamp or are we refighting the Civil War?), and lack of support from his home base, it’s beginning to look like just a matter of time before the rest of Virginia will do the same.

UPDATE: The Gillespie campaign released the following:

Prince William County Sheriff, 4 County Supervisors Endorse Gillespie for Governor

Sheriff Glendell Hill Pulls Endorsement from Corey Stewart, Supports Gillespie, Adding to Strong Support from Elected Officials Across Prince Williams County

RICHMOND, VA – Longtime conservative leader, 2014 U.S. Senate candidate, and 2017 Republican candidate for governor Ed Gillespie announced the endorsements of four Prince William County Supervisors on Saturday: Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Jeanine Lawson (R-Brentsville) and Supervisors Ruth Anderson (R-Occoquan), Pete Candland (R-Gainesville), and Marty Nohe (R-Coles). Sheriff Glendell Hill, who had previously endorsed Corey Stewart, also announced that he is switching his support for Gillespie. The endorsements add to Gillespie’s growing momentum as he heads into the Republican nomination contest this June.

“Prince William County is a diverse, growing part of Virginia, and I’m humbled to have the support of these strong leaders,” said Gillespie. “Like all Virginians, the people of Prince William County share my optimistic vision for Virginia’s future. They know that we have to enact policies to help all Virginians. I’ll continue to put forth substantive policies and take my positive message to every city and county in the commonwealth.”

Sheriff Hill said of the announcement, “Today, I am pulling my endorsement of Corey Stewart for Governor. He is a friend but his campaign has become more focused on division, rather than the unifying values and the history of the Republican Party. I now support Ed Gillespie to be our next Governor.”

“Throughout his campaign, Ed has clearly demonstrated that he understands what Virginia needs to get moving again,” said Lawson. “I appreciate his commitment to running a unifying campaign based on a policy agenda that will grow our economy, bring jobs back to the Commonwealth, and make government more transparent and accountable. I have known Ed for a long time, and I believe that he will be an effective governor that all Virginians can be proud of.”

Nohe said, “Ed Gillespie will be a principled leader who will restore strong leadership in Virginia. Ed continues to deliver for Virginians a bold policy agenda and a clear message founded on positivity and optimism. For that, I am proud to support him in his campaign for governor.”

Earlier this month, over 60 leaders from Northern Virginia including Senator Dick Black, Delegate Richard Anderson, Delegate Tim Hugo, Delegate Scott Lingamfelter, Delegate Jackson Miller, Prince William County School Board Member Willie Deutsch, and former Prince William County School Board Chairman Milton John, announced their support of Gillespie for Governor.

Every one of the five Republican members of the General Assembly who represent Prince William County in Richmond and have endorsed in the governor’s race have endorsed Gillespie, along with 66 of the 87 Republican members of the General Assembly, a majority of the State Central Committee, and more than 30 local unit chairs. Find a full list of endorsements here. The campaign has also signed up nearly 6,000 committed volunteers.