Freedom Virginia Endorses Heidi Drauschak for Virginia State Senate
McGuire and Reeves win their nomination battles.
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Freedom Virginia Endorses Heidi Drauschak for Virginia State Senate
Freedom Virginia is endorsing Heidi Drauschak (D) over Sen. Dave Marsden (D) in the SD-35 primary and plans to run a five-figure mail program in her support.
“Heidi is a fighter for hardworking people and a champion for economic freedom,” said Rhena Hicks, executive director of Freedom Virginia. “Hardworking Virginians are the engine of our economy and our elected officials should prioritize them, not corporate special interests. Heidi will be a powerful voice for all hardworking families, both in Fairfax County and the Commonwealth, if elected to the Virginia State Senate.”
Freedom Virginia will be announcing more endorsements in the coming weeks.
McGuire and Reeves earn their nominations
Del. John McGuire (R) will be the nominee in SD-10 after earning more than 60% of the vote on the first ballot during Saturday’s convention. McGuire ran against three other Republicans for the nomination.
“Tracy and I cannot thank you enough for the support you gave us during the SD 10 convention campaign. We have the best team! Thanks to you, we won a 4-way Virginia State Senate District 10 convention race by 63% on the first vote,” McGuire said in a statement Saturday. “We made so many new friends. Your prayers, positive word of mouth, donations, phone calls, door knocking, hard work, and more made the difference. Now, we ‘must lock arms’ as Governor Glenn Youngkin says and win in November.”
SD-10 is a Republican stronghold so McGuire will likely win the general election easily this November.
Engage Louisa covered the convention in person and provided the following context:
“McGuire surpassed the 50 percent plus one threshold required to win the nomination on the first ballot, reportedly claiming more than 60 percent of the vote. Per convention rules, the vote was weighted based on the Republican voting strength for each of the district’s 10 localities. Adams then motioned for the convention’s nearly 1,500 delegates to declare McGuire the nominee by unanimous consent to cheers from the McGuire supporters who packed the high school’s gym. Adams and McGuire were widely regarded as the co-favorites to win the nomination heading into the convention. Governor Glenn Youngkin endorsed McGuire while 5th District Congressman Bob Good backed Adams.”
Sen. Bryce Reeves (R) survived a primary challenge from Mike Allers during the firehouse primary on Saturday in SD-28.
"I am deeply honored and humbled by the trust that the voters of the 28th Senate District have placed in me," Reeves said. "I promise to continue to be a tireless advocate for our shared values and to work every day to make our community an even better place to live, work, and raise a family."
Related: Sen. Bryce Reeves defeats challenger in Republican firehouse primary
SD-28 is a strong Republican district according to VPAP.
Tim Griffin secures 53rd District Republican nomination in smooth convention - The News and Advance
by Bryson Gordon
Following a rocky leadup to the GOP’s 53rd District nominating convention, Tim Griffin, the chair of the Bedford County Republican Committee and a former prosecutor in Amherst and Bedford counties, smoothly secured his party’s nomination for this November’s general election on Saturday.
Griffin was running for the newly drawn 53rd House District nomination against Sarah Mays, a Forest resident who owns and operates a Christian day care center in Amherst County.
Baxter Ennis wins Republican nomination for House District 89 race in firehouse primary - Virginian Pilot
by Cianna Morales
After counting votes until after 11 p.m. Saturday, the Republican Party of Chesapeake announced N. Baxter Ennis as the winner of a firehouse primary. Ennis will run as the Republican nominee for the House of Delegates District 89 race.
Ennis beat out Chesapeake City Council member Don Carey III and political newcomer Jason Woolridge from Suffolk. District 89 includes Chesapeake and parts of Suffolk. Ennis will run against Democrat nominee Karen Lynette Jenkins, a Suffolk school board member.
Oates earns HD-31 nomination - Royal Examiner
The Warren County Republican Committee, in conjunction with the 31 District Committee, held a “firehouse” primary on May 5, 2023, from 2-7 pm, at the North Warren Fire Station, located at 266 Rockland Court, Front Royal. Two different nomination races were decided – the Shenandoah Magisterial District Board of Supervisors seat and Virginia’s 31st House of Delegates District seat – both on the ballot in November.
Unprecedented number of primaries prompt some Democrat angst - AP
by Sarah Rankin
Newly drawn legislative maps have led to a wave of retirements and more nomination contests in both assembly chambers than any other comparable election cycle in recent decades. But there’s a sharp discrepancy in the 40-member Senate: There are nearly twice as many Democratic nomination contests as Republican ones.
As the races start to heat up, the imbalance in numbers has sparked some concerns among Democrats that spending in the primaries could diminish their current financial advantage, limiting their ability to help candidates in the handful of competitive seats that will likely determine party control in the fall.
