Did Gilmore Steal The Nomination????

I'm getting some reports of shady activity at this weekend's GOP convention.  Anyone who has information- please email me now- I am investigating this today.

Comments

What kind of idiot commits fraud for the sake of getting trounced by Mark Warner in November?

Wait, it must be the kind of idiot that bankrupted the state when he was governor. It all makes sense now!

Ben,

Check out this post from this weekend at Nova town hall...it documents the irregularities

http://novatownhall.com/2008/05/31/republican-party-of-virginia-convention-report-shenanigans-unverified/

If you smell something rotten, it's in the 7th district. Why do you think they kept passing on announcing their vote totals?

And one other thng - you really need the number of votes cast by each locality in the 7th, and statewide as well. And you need the number of votes they were entitles to based on the results of the each caucus.

People don't understand the process. They don't understand that the votes were tallied and counted before they were announced and State Central knew the outcome. That's why the 7th was allowed to pass, everyone already knew the result.

Ultimately, there were no shenanigans but I'd admit it was a low tech process open to error. However, other than the usual conspiracy theorists, there isn't anything here more than sour grapes.

[PWConservative]

Why wouldn't RPV release the popular vote?

This trumped up charge against Gilmore is the same lame argument NLS helped Leslie Byrne make against Mark Warner when she called him a "rat" after she lost the Senate nomination to him.

[Spank That Donkey]

a 'rat'...

and that's what I smell with this Ben... is Warner sooo. weak that you need to try and split the Republican Base?

I thought your boy was going to trounce Gilmore on the issues? Glad you are acknowledging that isn't anywhere near the truth with this post.

[Not Ben]

Splitting the Republican base is just good business. Few, if any of us here are stupid enough to actually think Gilmore is anything more than a novelty candidate.

[David]

I attended the Republican State Convention in Richmond this weekend, and I can assure you there was nothing "irregular" about the balloting or security of the ballots. As a member of the 11th CD, I was very involved in the process of handing our, collecting and processing the ballots. At no point in the Fairfax delegation ballots did anything go array. I know firsthand that in the other Districts such as the 7th CD under the direction of Linwood Cobb, the security, counting and distribution was 100% on the up & up.

While the Convention was poorly organized, that does not mean that Gilmore stole the nomination. In fact, if you took all of the ballots given to Bob Berry (not even a candidate but got on the ballot,) and we recounted all of the ballots there WAS NO WAY that Marshall could have made up a 76 vote deficit.

I will contend the Convention was not done efficiently or well organized BUT I can assure voters that the ballots were counted correctly, there was "no funny business."

[James Young]

I, too, was involved in the balloting, in PWC, and in security for unused ballots in the 11th CD. Both Lyle Beefelt and Becky Stoeckel were very careful to insure the integrity of the process. By way of example, not fewer than two people supervised balloting at the four PWC polling tables, credentials were checked before a ballot was provided, and unused ballots were collected in the presence of witnesses who usually don't trust each other to make sure things were on the up and up. I cannot speak to other Districts, but I have no reason to believe that there were any irregularities; indeed, my only surprise was that Marshall --- for whom I voted --- made as strong a showing as he did.

There is no way to satisfy people who have incentive to stir up controversy.

[Steve]

Look into Virginia Beach delegates that were denied credential passes at registration and even there unit chair was there to testify to there being credentialed but Linwood was no where to be found. How come the credential solution as the call it was shut down before registration by over an hour before registration closed. If you look at over 20 people denied their credentials after being credentialed by their district and units how come rpv didn't allow them to vote. The weighted vote was less than 67 votes and 5 to 10 people from different areas of the state could have had a drastic outcome on who was the nominee. Interesting...

[Matthew]

Spank that Donkey, you sound rather confident

I will bet you $20 that Mark Warner wins the election in Virginia.

[Interested Observer]

I think Gilmore's poor showing at the convention is just a sign of things to come for him in the general election. I don't think there was fraud, I just think the guy isn't all that popular and his party knows it. How else do you explain a one point victory over a regional delegate?

I'm really looking forward to Warner cleaning this guy's clock. We've been hearing too long from the Republicans about what a great politician Gilmore is when he ruined the state's finances and used tax and budget gimmicks to make political hay. I think that the turkeys are coming home to roost and it is just great that the people of the Commonwealth will get to put their vote in on which was the most effective governor. I applaud both Gilmore and Warner for running on their records. This race could well put Virginia into the Democratic column...for Obama.

[Spank That Donkey]

matthew:
Is that you, like from the bible?