Virginia’s Republican State Central Committee rejected a proposal to charge candidates running for statewide office a filing fee of up to $25,000, a bid to help fund the party’s state conventions. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli proposed the candidate fee and a second levy of up to $50 for convention delegates, arguing that even with the fees conventions would be cheaper than holding primaries.
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling opposed the fees, saying they could discourage less wealthy candidates from running and depress participation in conventions from young people and the elderly.
Mike Ginsberg, chairman of the 8th District Republican Committee, also opposed the fees out of concern over “the image that might come across.”
In 2008, state Republicans voted to cap the filing fee for candidates at conventions to 2 percent of the salary of the position for which they’re running, which is the same amount set by the State Board of Elections for primary election candidates. The party raised the convention rate to 4 percent after the 2009 elections. A candidate for governor, a job paying $175,000 a year, would pay a $7,000 fee.
Even while they were debating how to pay for another convention, however, state Republicans voted to hold a primary instead of a convention to nominate its 2012 Senate candidate.
Shaun Kenney, vice chairman of the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors and former spokesman for the state Republican Party, called the vote for a primary “a bit of a bummer for conservatives.”
Kenney favors holding conventions as long as Virginia’s rules allow voters to participate in any primary they wish, regardless of which party they belong. Conventions ensure that only the party’s members help decide its nominee.
“There’s not a single convention in the world that’s more expensive than a primary,” Kenney added.
Ginsberg, though, favors a primary. He noted that more than 13,000 people voted in his district’s congressional primary contest between Patrick Murray and Matthew Berry in June — twice as many as they’ve seen before.
“It seemed like it was a more inclusive process,” he said.
