A former county supervisor and convicted felon is attempting to primary GOP Del. Robert M. Thomas Jr. for a spot in Virginia’s legislature.
Paul Milde was convicted of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute in 1989 when Milde was 18. The judge in the case sentenced him to six years in prison but suspended the last five years, according to the Washington Post.
Nearly a decade later, Milde pleaded guilty to being an accessory to an attempted burglary, for which he served 20 days of a 360-day sentence.
Milde’s record has not stopped him from winning three prior elections to be Stafford County supervisor. Thomas has zeroed in on Milde’s criminal background to beat back Milde’s primary challenge. Thomas beat Milde in 2017 to win his first term to the Virginia General Assembly.
A Thomas campaign mailer sent to voters said “Convicted felon Paul Milde” in a banner at the top. “We can’t have a trainwreck represent us in Richmond,” the mailer continued.
Milde has defended himself in his own mailer sent to voters and has attempted to steer the conversation toward Thomas’s voting record. Last year, Thomas voted in a group of nearly two dozen Republicans to expand Medicaid in Virginia, prompting accusations that the lawmakers caved on promises to fight “Obamacare” expansion.
“What I did 33 years ago was wrong. I deserved to be punished and I was,” Milde said in a mailer. “I admit to the truth. The problem is Bob Thomas won’t admit that since he got to Richmond last year, he’s been voting with the Democrats to advance their liberal agenda.”
