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| Endorsement of Ken Longo and Frank Wagner |
Friends,
I write to you today with my unequivocal endorsements of Ken Longo and Frank Wagner. My reasons for coming to this conclusion are similar for both candidates.
First, I believe Ken Longo has done an excellent job as head of the Virginia Beach Republican Party and strongly support his continued leadership. He is open, accessible, and accommodates the diverse ideas that exist within our party. Second, I believe Frank Wagner's history of leadership and adherence to conservative principles speaks for itself. Additionally, he is best suited to get the Second District back on track, restore its reputation, and support our candidates.
As Republicans we must recognize the fact that we have members with diverse views in terms of political positions inside of our party. We are closer than we are apart; we need to be a team, a family. To achieve a big tent, there must be room for everyone, despite the fact that we may internally disagree on issues important to us. Longo and Wagner are best suited to allow this to happen. Our party should not be held hostage to extremism on the left or right, that refuses to acknowledge the diversity we possess; the desire for absolute purity by a small group on either spectrum will significantly reduce our wins and, in turn, our effectiveness to advance the issues important to all of us.
Importantly, Longo and Wagner support primaries over conventions to nominate Republicans for public office, as opposed to their opponents. One must only look at the debacle in the special election for the House of Delegates to see how conventions inherently alienate fellow Republicans. Last month's mass meeting (convention) held on the Eastern Shore presented an excellent example of what we should not be doing as a party. Approximately 200 Republicans, who were patiently waiting to select their desired nominee, were turned away from the convention, due to the fire code, and could not participate. Had there been a primary or firehouse primary, all would have been able to participate to select the Republican nominee of their choice.
If that isn't enough to convince you that conventions are part of a history where party bosses, rather than voters, have selected nominees, just look to the upcoming Republican state convention in Roanoke, where we will nominate a U.S. Senate candidate. It will be another convention where those same alienated Republicans, turned away from the Accomack Mass Meeting, will have to spend hundreds of dollars and drive 6 hours each way to attend, likely having to incur the cost of overnight accommodations as well. We will select a candidate who will have a guaranteed place on the ballot, and who, if elected, has the potential to vote to send soldiers to war. Those very soldiers who would fight the war will have zero representation in his or her nomination, because active-duty military cannot participate in political-party meetings, but they can vote in party primaries. This situation is unacceptable to me as a veteran.
Frank Wagner and Ken Longo understand the importance of our decisions about nominating candidates for public office. Their opponents clearly do not.
It is not enough to simply read this email. I urge all of you to attend the March 10 Mass Meeting at Cox High School to re-elect Ken Longo as chairman of the Republican Party of Va. Beach. Please be there by 6:45.
I also urge you to contact us if you want to be a Delegate to the 2nd District convention to make sure Frank Wagner becomes the next 2nd District Chairman for the future of our party. We need them by noon on March 3.
Respectfully,
Delegate Scott Taylor
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