Virginia gun owners should crash the party on June 9th

May 27, 11:46 PMDC Gun Rights ExaminerMike Stollenwerk

Previous Next

4 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the DC Gun Rights Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Terry McAuliffe & Friend

Did you know Virginia is an open primary state?  Yup, it is - you can vote in anybody's primary you want.

That means that since the Republican party is handling their state office party candidate nominations this year by convention, every registered voter in Virginia might as well crash the Democratic party primary on June 9th!

Right now polls generally show former National Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe, who happens to live in Fairfax County, in the lead, followed by Alexandria's Brian Moran, and then Bath County's Creigh Deeds.  But here's the deal - these polls are highly unreliable and regardless, only just over 100,000 Democrats are going to vote anyway - that leaves any possible winner of this 3 way race vulnerable to even a limited strategic cross party or one issue voter attack.

But how should gun owners vote in this primary?  I think the answer is clear - against Terry McAuliffe who is only in this state race because Hillary Clinton lost her Presidential primary bid and could not take him to the White House. 

Moran, and even more so Deeds, have voted pro-gun on numerous occasions during their careers in the General Assembly.  I'm not sure McAuliffe even knows where the General Assembly Building is located.  And as one Fairfax County Democratic party insider bluntly told me, "on guns, McAuliffe will be worse than even [Governor Tim] Kaine."

But two factors favor Moran over Deeds in this party primary voting raid.  First, Moran is leading Deeds and is more likely to beat McAuliffe than Deeds.  Second, Deeds has become unreliable on gun rights, trending anti-gun with his support to ban private gun sales at gun shows - out of synch with almost every other state's laws and just one policy step shy from banning private gun transfers entirely between even family, friends, and neighbors.

A vote for Moran is therefore the best strategic vote for gun owners for two reasons.  First, because a Moran vote is more likely to defeat McAuliffe than a vote for Deeds.  And second, a vote for Moran sends traditionally pro-gun politicians like Deeds a signal that compromising on gun rights before they run for state office will not be tolerated.

So where will you party on June 9th?