Virginia conservatives unhappy with the idea of George Allen becoming their Republican Senate nominee agree that the best way to beat Allen is to rally around one of his opponents. Yet, after months of behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Virginia Tea Party groups still can’t agree on who to back. Tea Party activists even considered holding their own convention in advance of next June’s primary, several people told The Washington Examiner. However, those talks dissipated when the numerous factions couldn’t come to terms over how to make it happen.
Tea Party leader Jamie Radtke, businessman David McCormick and Chesapeake Bishop E.W. Jackson, head of a nondenominational ministry, are challenging Allen in the Republican primary, and all three claim to be more conservative than the former governor and one-time U.S. senator. Radtke has garnered the most support and attention but enough uncertainty remains that Del. Bob Marshall, R-Prince William, is still considering jumping into the race.
Allen has the backing of many lawmakers, former Republican presidential candidates and even Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, among others, and is by far the front-runner to take on the Democratic nominee, presumably former Gov. Tim Kaine, in November.
Businessman Tim Donner left the Republican primary race last month, citing the array of candidates who are “splintering what’s still not a significant faction of the state.” Still, conservatives have yet to coalesce behind any of the other candidates.
“There was a lot of proposals flying back and forth — proposals for conventions, for meetings statewide or within congressional districts,” Donner said. “Nothing materialized because trying to get four candidates all to agree with something is a very, very difficult thing to do. It’s like herding cats.”
There is always a chance that the campaign process itself will narrow the field of Senate candidates. Each candidate must collect 10,000 signatures from registered voters, including 400 from each of the state’s 11 congressional district, to get on the primary ballot, and, as Radtke put it, “You need to have organization and finances to make it happen.”
“It needs to be ideally one candidate versus George Allen,” Radtke said, “and a lot of that will play itself out in the next few months.”
