by Dick Hall-Sizemore
In Virginia, registered voters are not identified by political party affiliation. Political parties do not like this provision because it allows non-party members to participate in their primaries.
Parties try to discourage this incursion by non-members into their primaries by requiring various sorts of pledges, either to support the eventual nominee of the party or that participants consider themselves members of the party holding the primary. For the upcoming unassembled caucus, or “firehouse primary,” being held to choose the Democratic nominee for the upcoming special election in the Fourth Congressional District seat, Democrats are requiring people wishing to participate to sign a statement declaring themselves to be a Democrat. Republicans have had similar requirements in the past. See here, here, and here.
According to The Washington Post, conservative radio host John Fredericks, who was chairman of Trump’s Virginia campaigns, has made a radio ad urging Republicans to participate in the Fourth Congressional District Democratic firehouse primary to be held on Tuesday and to vote for Joe Morrissey. As for the statement declaring the participant to be a Democrat, Fredericks said, “Sign their stupid pledge — it means nothing — and stick it to them.”
Is this what conservatives and Republicans have come down to in the Commonwealth: publicly urging their members to lie and make false promises?
