28th District GOP Candidate Forum – May 15th

For more information see www.staffordgop.com.

Do NOT Support Stuart!!!

NOTE to Richard Stuart: This post will come down when you renounce the endorsement of John Chichester.

This blog does not have an official Republican Candidate that it is supporting as of yet, however, each contributor and supporter is free to support who they wish. However, this site does stand against the nomination of Former Commonwealth’s Attorney Richard Stuart. (See more on Stuart at NLS.) Disgraced State Senator Chichester has endorsed Mr. Stuart. I have waited weeks since the endorsement for Stuart to make some kind of assurance that he is not another Chichester. This has not happened. This convinces me that Stuart in nothing more than a Chichester puppet. This site will focus its efforts to making sure that neither a liberal Republican nor a Liberal Democrat wins in the 28th District.

We did not work so hard to remove Mr. Chichester to have his clone.

Why I still support John Van Hoy (and why you should, too)

Well, things have been quite entertaining in the 28th State Senate District since I last made my views known. Back then, we had only one Republican candidate, John Van Hoy, although it looked like some others would jump in. Indeed, three have - Richard Stuart, John Myers, and Joe Graziano - and all are making themselves known - Stuart by the endorsements of John Chichester and Bill Howell (Free Lance-Star, h/t Virginia Virtucon), Myers by the endorsement of SWAC Girl, and Graziano by an unnamed blogger who sings the candidate's praises via comments in every post (s)he can find (note to whats-his/her-name: that's no criticism; your dedication is a sight to see). Despite all of this, I'm sticking with Van Hoy.

Stuart is the easiest to dismiss. I take it straight from the Chich's mouth (FLS) "He said he's backing Stuart because Stuart's fiscal philosophies are in line with his own." Stuart himself would "never say never" on tax hikes, which means I will always say never with him in a Republican nomination contest.

As for Myers, while his military service in Iraq is certainly admirable, his views on taxes are an anathema (Free Lance Star):

Myers said he's a social conservative but a "fiscal realist"--he doesn't like taxes but believes that taking a "no tax" pledge is akin to promising to cut state services.

With all due respect, that is a nonsensical statement.

That leaves Graziano. To be fair, Graziano is showing himself to be a fairly good right-winger (he even sends up Myers - without naming him - in this Virginia Virtucon interview). However, he simply doesn't have Van Hoy's history in the district. Graziano has run two races in Stafford (Supervisor in 2003, County GOP Chairman in 2004), and lost them both. Van Hoy, by contrast, led the Stafford GOP Committee for over a decade, and has served on several local organizations in the area. Stafford knows him very well, and the nominee will need to be as well-known in Stafford as humanly possible.

The fact is, Albert Pollard will be a strong candidate. I don't think he'll be as strong on the Northern Neck as he was before (remember, he did not run for re-election as a Delegate after voting for Mark Warner's tax hike in 2004), but he's no slouch out there. We need someone whom Stafford voters know as one of them, with a long history of local involvement. Van Hoy has that; Graziano doesn't.

So, in the choice between two good candidates, I have to go with the one I feel has the best chance against the tax-hiking Pollard. That person was and is John Van Hoy.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Chichester’s Seat May Actually be Filled by a True Conservative

NLS examines the new state of the campaign for Chichester’s seat. He concludes that if a Republican wins the 28th district (see NLS’ next post), the candidate will have been a conservative (not like Chichester). The chair of the local party, Bob Hunt, failed to act quickly and decisively to have a primary. In the end the result is that the 28th District will be having a convention which will give the advantage to a Republican. NLS did a great job of analyzing this so I will not attempt to reinvent the wheel.

Is Chichester trying to steer Republicans away from John Van Hoy?

You would certainly think so by looking at this Free Lance-Star piece on the state of the race in the 28th District:

Sen. John Chichester's decision to retire leaves the state 28th Senate District seat open for the first time in 29 years.

. . .

John Van Hoy, a Stafford businessman and former chairman of the county's Republican Party unit, had planned to challenge Chichester in a primary, and now says he is still running and has filed the necessary paperwork to become a candidate.

Also considering a run for the Republican nomination are Del. Rob Wittman of Westmoreland County; Cord Sterling, who formerly worked for Sen. John Warner, is vice-chairman of the
Stafford Republicans and a member of the Commonwealth Transportation Board . . .

For the record, Delegate Wittman voted "Yes" on "Republican" tax hike, while Sterling was non-committal (Free Lance-Star); only Van Hoy opposed the tax hike.

Meanwhile, when Chichester was asked to comment on the race to replace him, he had this to say (emphasis added):

Chichester has his own thoughts about who he'd like to see replace him--and a campaign account of at least $300,000 that could help such a candidate. He said both Wittman and Sterling would be good, qualified candidates and that he wouldn't support one over the other.

Notice anyone missing from his list? Yup, there was no mention of John Van Hoy. Now, Chich can support whomever he wants, but Republicans in the 28th District have to ask themselves if anyone Chich holds in such regard should be allowed anywhere near the Senate Chamber. I say No, and thus I support John Van Hoy.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Chichester is Gone!!!

After a 29 year reign of terror Senator John Chichester has decided today to “retire” as apposed to getting voted out of office. After reading Chichester’s press release (you can find it most anywhere, but NLS had it up first), I am saddened to report that Chichester did not “wake up one morning to realize what he had done to Virginia and decide to do the only responsible thing” as I had hoped. He instead driveled on as any defeated politician does. Here are some of the lowlights:

Chairing the Finance Committee brings many things – not the least of which is a respect for the complexity of real life and the need to balance many worthwhile and competing interests, while maintaining the highest fiscal integrity. That balance can’t be achieved without a firm grounding in all aspects of the enterprise that we call state government.

The job of chairman brings a steep learning curve, and the learning never ends. It is a full-time job, and one that is all-consuming. In order to be successful, the Finance Committee chairman must be willing to live and breathe the state budget on a day-to-day basis. He must be willing to trade instant gratification for the state’s long-term prosperity. He must be willing to advance positions that are sometimes unpopular. He must leave behind parochial interests and think ecumenically, because the chairman’s district becomes the entire Commonwealth and her assets.

The rewards are many, but there is a price to pay. That price is exacted both physically and through the yoke of responsibility for Virginia’s financial health, economic prosperity and fiscal structure that accompanies the position, not just for two months that one is in Richmond, but for 365 days of the year.

I hope and pray that his words do not ring true. Virginia has suffered too much under his ideological tyranny.

But alas, Chichester must be commended for doing the right thing, even if not for the right reasons. Chichester was absolutely right when he said, “In 1978, when I first ran for this office, I said that the seat in the Senate belonged to the people and not to me.” Chichester has turned the seat back over to the people!

This is a great victory for Virginia and the Chichester Must Go movement. Chichester Must Go started as a small grassroots movement in the minds conservatives in Virginia. Chichester Must Go and its supporters merely provided the catalyst for what was already there.

I would like to personally thank D.J. McGuire for his contribution to this effort. Thank you also to the many blogs that supported this movement:

• Bearing Drift
• Black Velvet Bruce Li
• Renaissance Ruminations
• Southwest by Southeast
• The Right-Wing Liberal
• The Virginian Federalist
• The Ward View
• V*CAP
• Virginia Virtucon

Finally, thank you to the many fine citizens of Commonwealth for their support. It is the pressure you put on Chichester that was the real cause for his “retirement.”

As for what will happen to Chichester Must Go, we will enjoy this victory and then look toward the future. All suggestions are welcome.

On the retirement speech

I must admit, I admired Chichester's class; he could have taken the Russ Potts' route and hurled bitter invective at his opponents, but he chose not to do so. Then again, I hear he has a "horse" in the primary to succeed him.

“I have decided that we will not seek re-election for another term.” – John Chichester

Words worth repeating: “I have decided that we will not seek re-election for another term.” Yes those are the official words of Senator John Chichester. NLS has the entire press release from Chichester.
My take on this in moments.

The Chichastrophe May be Over

Along with D.J.’s post Below , see V*CAP’s take from Friday Here. Rumor has it (and from a myriad of sources no less) that Chichester is packing his bags. One can only speculate as to why? Is he scared of a challenger in the Republican Primary, is he afraid of defeat by his own Democratic kind, did Chichester Must Go send him reeling, or is did he wake up one morning to realize what he had done to Virginia and decide to do the only responsible thing, resign. Honestly, I hope it is the latter.

I must remind everyone that this is merely a rumor, and we have seen more than are fair share here at Chichester Must Go. His announcement could come as early as today. If true, this would be the ultimate success for the cause.

To give you a little recap of what happened, here is how it has gone down so far:
VCAP had the first scoop on Friday followed quickly by Bacon’s Rebellion and Virginia Virtucon. Saturday the Virginia Blogosphere was alive with rhetoric regarding the Chichester rumor: Chichester Must Go, Black Velvet Bruce Li, The Right-Wing Liberal, and Mason Conservative. The Ward View and Elephant Ears took up the storm on Sunday. Today Renaissance Ruminations and your’s truly have pitched in their takes.

We will keep you up to date as this story unfolds. . . .

Ding Dong, the Chich is . . .

. . . well, "dead" would be inappropriate, cruel, and wrong.

The point is, he's going, going . . . he's gone!

I have it on very good authority that Chich will call it a career on Monday. This will remove a cloud no larger than a man's hand from the Commonwealth. All who stood up to oppose him (not the least of which the anonymous founder of this blog) deserve the thanks of all Virginians (well, except yours truly, I enjoy the rough and tumble of politics way too much for this to be considered anything but a labor of love).

There is, of course, the matter of replacing Chich; as that's not entirely germane here, let me simply provide a link to my thoughts on the matter here.