GOP canvasses Saturday in Colonial Heights for 4th District nominee; Democrats add primary locations

COLONIAL HEIGHTS — For five hours Saturday, Colonial Heights will be the center of the political universe for Republicans hoping to take back Virginia's 4th Congressional District seat.

Republicans from across the district's 15 localities will converge on the Life Christian Academy to pick their nominee for next February's special election to fill the vacant seat of the late Rep. Donald McEachin. Twi candidates so far are seeking the nomination — Richmond pastor Leon Benjamin and retired Virginia state trooper Dale Sturdifen of Mecklenberg County. Benjamin lost to McEachin in the 2020 general election and again last month. Sturdifan, who lost in a 2019 GOP primary for the state Senate, is an office staffer for U.S. Rep. Bob Good, R-5th.

Ranked Choice Voting will be used to determine the nominee, according to a statement from the 4th District Republican Committee. In this process, voters will be asked to rank the candidates in order of their preference, and the one getting the highest ranking will be declared the winner.

In last year's statewide election, the GOP used rankings to eliminate the candidate with the lowest preferences in each round of voting. The nominee was Glenn Youngkin of northern Virginia, who went on to win the governorship.

"Virginia Republicans are committed to holding a fair, easy and secure election process that allows the maximum number of voters to engage in the process," the committee statement read.

Three days after the GOP canvass, 4th District Democrats will choose their nominee in a "firehouse primary" where voters will converge on a number of locations throughout the 4th District for daylong balloting. Five candidates are seeking that nomination — state Sens. Jennifer McClellan of Richmond and Joe Morrissey of Henrico County, Del. Lamont Bagby of Henrico County, former Petersburg city attorney Joe Preston and Hopewell insurance agent Tavorise Marks.

In its announcement, the GOP criticized Democrats for choosing a nominating process that it claims is "tipping the nomination to the more extreme candidate pre-selected by Democrat Party bosses."

"Ranked Choice Voting in intra-party contests allows for the candidate with the broadest base of support to win," the Republican committee statement read.

The GOP was not alone in its criticism of the firehouse primary. When he announced his candidacy Tuesday morning in Petersburg, Morrissey was also displeased with the decision to hold the primary on a weekday rather than a weekend, saying that Democrats push equal access to voting "except when party elites want to put their own person in." However, he said he ultimately accepted the decision because "I'm not a whiner."

Life Christian Academy is located at 1221 Boulevard.

More sites for Democrats' primary

While the Republicans were finalizing their nomination plans for Saturday, 4th District Democrats were adding voting locations in an effort to maximize access for residents in the district's more rural areas.

Three locations in Chesterfield, Surry and Charles City counties were added Wednesday to the five locations in Richmond, Petersburg, Lawrenceville and Highland Springs that were announced Tuesday. From 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Democratic voters will go to:

• Tabernacle Baptist Church – 444 Halifax St, Petersburg;

• Brunswick Conference Center – 100 Athletic Field Rd, Lawrenceville;

• Dogtown Dance Studio – 109 W 15th St, Richmond;

• Diversity Richmond – 1407 Sherwood Ave, Richmond;

• IBEW Local 666 – 1390 E Nine Mile Rd, Highland Springs;

• Meadowdale Library – 4301 Meadowdale Blvd, North Chesterfield;

• Surry Parks & Recreation Center – 205 Enos Farm Drive, Surry; or

• Charles City Government Center – 10900 Courthouse Road, Charles City.

Any registered voter within the 4th who vows to support the Democratic nominee may vote only once at any of the eight locations.

“By working with Democratic activists across the fourth, we’ve been able to secure additional locations for Tuesday’s Firehouse Primary, which will help ensure that even more Virginia Democrats are able to cast their ballots," 4th District Democratic chairwoman Alexsis Rodgers said in a statement released Wednesday by the party.

The 4th District stretches from metro Richmond to the Virginia-North Carolina state line, and includes all of the Tri-City area.

McEachin, a Democrat who represented the 4th District since 2017, died Nov. 28 at his Richmond home of complications from colorectal cancer. He was 61.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin has set Feb. 21, 2023 as the date for the special election. Early voting for that election will begin Jan. 6.

More:Retiring Petersburg councilor opts out of race for 4th District seat

More:Aird says she will stay in state Senate race, vows to fight for abortion rights in Virginia

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: GOP will select 4th District nominee Saturday in Colonial Heights