Virginia voters who want to weigh in on the Democratic presidential candidate get their chance next Tuesday. But Republicans who want to cast a ballot for their preferred GOP nominee are out of luck.
Virginia Republicans will choose delegates to their national convention at a state convention in May, rather than through a primary vote this Tuesday.
Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, Jack Wilson, says the convention will be a showcase event for President Donald Trump.
“As of now Virginia is on the list of targeted states for the President’s re-election campaign and so that’s really what we wanted to do is unify around re-electing President Trump,” Wilson said during a phone interview Friday.
The President does have a competitor for the GOP nomination - former
Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld. But Weld didn’t file paperwork to participate in the Virginia convention.
“Other candidates could have participated but chose not to,” said Wilson.
Virginia is an open primary state. That means anyone, regardless of party affiliation, is allowed to vote Tuesday.
According to a Wason Center, Christopher Newport University, poll 29-percent of Republican voters said they were ‘very likely’ to vote in the Democratic primary.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.