(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Will Republicans win VA House seats . . . by default? [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-06-10 You’ve read the diaries about Jasmine Lipscomb, the U.S. Marine veteran who stepped up to run for Delegate in Virginia House District 49, right? Search for “Jasmine Lipscomb” and you’ll get 5 (at my last count) articles. A broader concern, at this point, may be: What is happening in Virginia Congressional District 5? This is a fairly large rural area of the Commonwealth (not as large an area as it was pre-2020 Census) and is represented (if you want to say represented) by Republican Bob Good, who won election in 2020 and won re-election in 2022. He was challenged by a Democrat in both 2020 and 2022. I am the U.S. Air Force veteran running for Senator in Virginia Senate District 9 (pre-2020 Census, it was SD15 and a different configuration of counties). The Republican incumbent, Frank Ruff, has been in the seat since 2000, he was primaried and also challenged by a Democrat in 2019, and I believe he was challenged in 2007 and 2011. SD9 lies within a good portion of CD5. Your interest may have perked up when I first mentioned Virginia Congressional District 5, and that would be understandable if you have read the diaries regarding Jasmine Lipscomb. Her House District lies within not only CD5, but also within SD9. In fact, all or portions of House Districts 48, 49, 50, 56, and 72 lie within CD5 and SD9. So, why is getting a Democrat on the ballot for these seats so difficult? A candidate for HD48 has had a difficult time getting the nomination (lack of support may not be the least of it). HD49’s candidate is Jasmine Lipscomb, and we all know her story. HD50 has a potential candidate who will file to run in a caucus that requires a $400 fee and 75 signatures. HD56 had a candidate, then didn’t, then may have, now doesn’t. HD72 has a candidate who qualified by the April 6 Primary filing deadline. There may be a common thread to the answer to my question, besides Party leadership and the lack of Party support for rural candidates: the current CD5 Chair is my local Democratic Committee Chair who has served for I don’t know how many years on the CD5 Committee as well as is a member of the nominating committee for HD50. You’ll note the $500 fee and 100 signatures for Jasmine in HD49 and the $400 fee and 75 signatures for HD50. My 2021 caucus requirement (when I ran for Delegate in then HD61, now HD50) was $50 and no signatures. But she is not alone, because also at the wheel is the DPVA Chair, Susan Swecker, who has been Chair for I also don’t know how long. I will give my Committee Chair props because she brought our committee back to life, has increased voter registration several years in a row, and has organized the committee to GOTV for at least the past three congressional races and the 2020 presidential election that I am aware of. But, when I needed volunteers to help me get signatures in 2021 (COVID), she told the committee that she won’t ask anyone to do anything she won’t do. So, there’s that. SD9 has 1 out of 5 nominees for House seats and may get a second one. Having Democrats on the ballot for every House District helps the Democrats in the corresponding Senate Districts. Voters deserve to have a choice for every seat on every ballot in every election. Having no Democrats on 2023 ballots is going to hurt Democrats in the 2024 gubernatorial and presidential elections. With democracy on the line, letting Republicans win by default is unconscionable. I call on Party leaders — DPVA, Senate Caucus, House Caucus — to help candidates get on the ballot, especially when there is only one candidate who steps up to run for a seat. (Trudy) Berry for Senator Website Facebook Twitter DONATE [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2023/6/10/2174583/-Will-Republicans-win-VA-House-seats-by-default Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/