Is The Virginia GOP Trying To Sabotage Donald Trump’s Shot At A Primary Victory?
While it is widely held that politics makes for “strange bedfellows,” in the present election cycle, politics also seems to breed some rather unusual feuds. And, in something of a recurring theme, a good deal of the most uncanny antagonisms center around Donald Trump’s controversial campaign for high office. Indeed, Trump has mixed it up with many of his fellow Republicans, as well as some of the most prominent right-wing pundits. Most recently, Donald Trump has turned his attention to the Virginia GOP, as the real estate mogul appears to suspect the party will derail his efforts at winning the state’s primary election on March 1.
Trump took to Twitter on Sunday, airing his grievances regarding Virginia’s Republican Party. In a series of terse and blunt messages, he harangued the party as “bad,” “stupid,” and “suicidal.”
It begins, Republican Party of Virginia, controlled by the RNC, is working hard to disallow independent, unaffiliated and new voters. BAD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2015
R.P.Virginia has lost statewide 7 times in a row. Will now not allow desperately needed new voters. Suicidal mistake. RNC MUST ACT NOW!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2015
The voters the Republican Party of Virginia are excluding will doom any chance of victory. The Dems LOVE IT! Be smart and win for a change!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2015
Straighten out The Republican Party of Virginia before it is too late. Stupid! RNC
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2015
Donald Trump’s ire stems from reports that Virginia voters will be required to sign a “loyalty oath” when voting in the state’s Republican primary. According to a report by the Washington Post, the nine-word affirmation reads: “My signature below indicates that I am a Republican.”
While party leaders profess that the pledge is intended to ensure that Republican voters select [a] Republican nominee,” Trump argues that the requirement is counterproductive. As noted by the Post, Donald Trump has expressed concern that the measure would discourage independent, unaffiliated, and first-time voters from casting ballots for Republicans in the state election.
The Richmond-Times Dispatch reports that John Findlay, executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia, denies that the above-noted measure amounts to a loyalty oath.
“[It] is not an ‘oath’ or ‘pledge’ in any way,” Findlay said in a statement posted to the Virginia GOP’s website. “It is not targeting any candidate, group of voters or an unreasonable barrier to voting. These nine words were used specifically to avoid any confusion or reference to past attempts.”
It is worth noting that the Virginia Republican Party has considered requiring voters to sign a verification of their respective affiliations in the past. Virginia voters do not register to vote by party and are free to choose between Republican and Democratic ballots when voting in primary elections.
Virginia’s March 1 primary is one of 12 primary elections held on that date, which is popularly known as “Super Tuesday.” Considered a “battleground state,” Virginia’s 13 electoral votes went to Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 general elections.
An October poll of likely Virginia voters indicated Donald Trump leads the pack of Republican candidates despite a number of “unfavorable” ratings. Nevertheless, the poll indicates that in a head-to-head race against Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump would not succeed in carrying the battleground state.
As previously reported by Inquisitr, Trump is still the nationwide frontrunner for the GOP, but in Iowa, the billionaire is now trailing Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Marco Rubio is also emerging as a strong contender for that state’s early 2016 primary election but he faces an uphill battle against the likes of Ted Cruz and Donald Trump.
[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]
