The Republican Party of Virginia's governing State Central Committee is about to debate how Republicans will handle their statewide intraparty elections next year. There's been a motion to hold primaries. Live stream: https://bit.ly/2JPdizZ 

Someone else has made a motion to use conventions to pick their party nominees next year.

Let's debate!

Sen. John Cosgrove is endorsing using a primary. He said Democrats will be picking nominees as well (Republicans are often afraid of Democrats voting in their primaries). Cosgrove said it's also unclear if they could hold a convention next year because of the pandemic.

One person said there may be four or so GOP gubernatorial candidates next year, and he's worried someone could win the primary with less than 40% of the vote, and that person would head into the general in a weak position. "I see us headed straight for an iceberg as a party."

Michael Ginsberg wanted an unassembled convention with ranked-choice voting. The state party recently used that format to elect its new chairman. Congressional candidates also used unassembled conventions (they were quite controversial).

Tara Carroll said a primary is a "common sense" method that indicates to all Republican voters that their insight into the candidates is valued.

Doc Troxel wants a convention because he said that's for voters who "care to show up." Conventions are far more restricted and attract the party faithful.

Ian Waite, chairman of the College Federation of Virginia, pushes back against notion that Republicans who don't show up to conventions "don't care." He said it's often hard for college students to find time to attend an all-day convention, and a convention disenfranchises them.

Oh dear, Russ Wright is being conspiratorial, accusing Democrats of manipulating their primary results??

Dennis Free objects to this conspiracy theory that Democrats would somehow tinker with Republicans' primary results to choose the nominee, because then that suggests the general election won't be run properly. Free favors a primary.

Nate Boyer, who has been a strong supporter of conventions for years (he chaired a GOP committee that censured Rep. Riggleman for officiating a gay wedding, and then Riggleman was ousted through a drive-thru convention at a church by Bob Good), backs an unassembled convention.

Jeff Ryer said holding an unassembled convention would require a change to the party plan, which would need a 3/4 vote from the governing body. He urged anyone supporting a convention stick to an assembled one (which looks like thousands of people crowded into a building).

Melissa Beaudoin is pro-unassembled convention in order to guarantee winner has majority rather than plurality.

Geary Higgins wants an unassembled convention with lots of polling locations across the state (like a firehouse primary).

Jeff Adams says they don't know what the situation with COVID will be like next year. Adams supports using a convention. He said Virginia election officials are "putting their thumb on the scale" to help Democrats. He said a convention will "maintain integrity."

I'm not sure what Adams is referring to. I seem to recall Board of Elections allowing Nick Freitas and Bob Good to get on the ballot after they screwed up paperwork.

And again: if you don't trust the state to run primaries, then what is the GOP plan for competing in the general?

I guess some folks don't want Republicans across Virginia to know whether they supported a convention or primary. Some of them want to cast secret ballots.

Zach Thompson said this is a major vote, and the vote should be done publicly.

A public vote it is! 6 wanted to vote in secret, and 58 supported a public vote.

Virginia Republicans will use a convention next year to choose their nominees for governor, attorney general and lieutenant governor.

They're now discussing making the convention format more into a "firehouse" with multiple voting locations across Virginia rather than just one location.

Sen. Amanda Chase said she’d only seek the Republican nomination for governor in a primary. So will she stick to her words and run as an independent now?