A little Virginia Convention history for my political friends, and why so many in the party are outraged still over the rules proposed by the 6th District Committee. Each year has a contested convention, the number of rounds, and the winner’s final vote share. If you can spot a plurality nominee in here, you get $5.00.
2016: Tom Garrett, 5th District, 3 rounds 58%
Charles Hernick, 8th District, 1 round 78.7%
2014: Ed Gillespie, Senate, 1 round 60% (opponent dropped before the count finished)
Micah Edmond, 8th District, 1 round 50.74%
2013: E.W. Jackson, Lt. Gov., 4 rounds 58.1%
Mark Obenshain, Att. Gen’l, 1 round 55.2%
2010: Morgan Griffith, 9th District, 1 round 51%
2009: Bill Bolling, Lt. Gov., 1 round 84%
Ken Cuccinelli, Att. Gen’l, 1 round 57%
2008: Jim Gilmore, Senate, 1 round 50.3%
2007: Rob Wittman, 1st District Special, 6 rounds 100% (28.7% after 5, uncontested 6th)
2004: Lisa Marie Cheney, 8th District, 1 round 66%
2001: Mark Earley, Governor, 1 round 70%
Randy Forbes, 4th District Special, 1 round 52%
2000: Demaris Miller, 8th District, 1 round 55.3%
1994: Ollie North, Senate, 1 round 55%
1993: George Allen, Governor, 1 round majority
Mike Farris, Lt. Gov., 1 round majority
Jim Gilmore, Att. Gen’l, 1 round majority
1988: Maurice A. Dawkins, Senate, 1 round 56.4%
Linda Arey, 5th District, 1 round majority
1985: John H. Chichester, Lt. Gov., 4 rounds 52%
Buster O’Brien, Att. Gen’l, 1 round, 2/3rds majority
1984: French Slaughter, Jr., 7th District, 2 rounds 60.82%
1981: Nathan Miller, Lt. Gov., 1 round majority
1978: Dick Obenshain, Senate, 4 round majority
1976: Paul Trible, 1st District, 2 round majority
In addition, the following Republican candidates were selected via convention but due to a lack of available information, it is unclear if these convention votes were contested:
1996: John Otey, 8th District
John Tate, 2nd District
1994: George Landrith, III, 5th District
Tom Davis, 11th District
1992: Gary Weddle, 9th District
Jim Chapman, 2nd District
Bob Goodlatte, 6th District – by acclimation, awaiting confirmation
1988: Jerry Curry, 2nd District
John Addy did most of the research in his first project for me as an intern. Outstanding work John.
EDIT – Goodlatte won by acclimation according to a 1992 6th District Convention attendee – waiting for confirmation.
8 comments
it’s a sad day when a person with privileges uses it as a means to get an edge for their choice. what do they have to hide? scott, you call yourself a man of honor, ethics, and integrity? this shows that is the opposite imo, cynthia with her silence and not requesting with others indicates to me 1. she has the lists and 2, she lacks the same.
Just a little more info to round out the history.
In the 2nd District:
1988
Gen. Jerry R. Curry defeated William A. “Billy” Dyson, II.
1992
James L. “Jim” Chapman, IV defeated, I believe, Ewin A. Ottinger.
1996
John F. Tate was nominated, but Del. Robert F.G. “Bob” McDonnell, R-84 (who later became Governor) withdrew before the convention took a vote (probably recognizing John had a majority on the floor)
In the 5th District:
1994
George C. Landrith, III was nominated. He DID have an opponent, but I have been unable to track down his/her identity.
In the 6th District:
1992
Robert W. “Bob” Goodlatte defeated Donna Vance Erickson.
In the 8th District:
1996
John E. Otey defeated Charles S. Severance, F. Brett Berlin, Charles E. “Chuck” Carlton, Sr., Anthony Cianciotti, and Dr. Peter T. Nelsen. I do not know how many ballots it went, nor do I know if there were other opponents, but I remember it was a very crowded race.
In the 9th District:
1992
Radford City Councilman Lonnie Garrett “Gary” Weddle defeated Lewis R. “Lew” Sheckler. George H. Bell had been running also, but he withdrew prior to the convention after suffering a bad car accident.
In the 11th District:
1994
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas M. “Tom” Davis, III easily defeated Stephen A. “Steve” Armstrong with over 70% of the vote on the first ballot.
There were no instances of any candidate being nominated with less than a majority of the vote.
Thanks David. Hope you’re well, friar!
If memory serves me, Jim Chapman won on the first round in a two way race with a majority vote.
What you have presented is the tradition of having majority vote. But there is nothing preventing from declaring in the rules ahead of time, that it can be done with plurality.
Not true. GC gave an opinion saying a District Committee can’t do that in 2012.
Rules Committee sets the proposed rules, not the District Committee. Ultimately, delegates can vote the rule up or down.
So if it is true, that at one point in time that the General Counsel of the RPV gave their “opinion,” (maybe concerning different circumstances, so that ruling would not apply in this case) then go and have the rules over turned. Otherwise, I don’t see where there is anything “wrong” with having the rule that there is going to be a plurality vote. Some may not like the way the rules were “adopted,” but there is nothing I can tell that is “breaking the rules” by have an non-traditional way of voting, when there is the opportunity to change the rules by the Delegates at the Convention. So much outrage over this issue, where something unusual happened, but it has yet to be proven that it is wrong.