State Sen. Joe Morrissey said Sunday that the Democrats will not have an easy time hanging on to the governor’s office in November.
The Republicans nominated Northern Virginia businessman Glenn Youngkin for governor, former Del. Winsome Sears for lieutenant governor and Del. Jason Miyares for attorney general during their unassembled convention on May 8.
“The Democrats are not going to be able to corner the market on a diverse ticket,” Morrissey (D-Richmond) said. Youngkin is a white man, Sears is a black woman and Miyares’ ethnicity is Cuban.
“The Republicans have put up a very formidable ticket,” Morrissey said, calling Youngkin “the very best candidate to challenge [former Gov.]Terry McAuliffe.”
McAuliffe is the favorite to win the Democrats’ nomination for governor in their June 8 primary.
Morrissey said that McAuliffe outspent former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli by $16 million in the 2014 gubernatorial race, but he won’t be able to do that with Youngkin.
Youngkin “has a very large base in Northern Virginia and has no legislative baggage,” Morrissey said, adding that Youngkin “has no shortage of money.”
Morrissey thought that businessman Pete Synder or Del. Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) would win the GOP’s gubernatorial nod and that state Sen. Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) would have the most votes on the first ballot in the May 8 convention.
Youngkin won after six rounds of counting the ranked-choice ballots. Snyder was second, Chase third and Cox fourth.
Morrissey said he was surprised Youngkin won. “People just figured his [delegates]were not going to show up,” the first-term state senator said.
Chase had endorsements from former Gen. Michael Flynn, guitarist Ted Nugent, political consultant Roger Stone and attorney Lin Wood, according to ballotpedia.com. Cox was endorsed by former Govs. George Allen and Bob McDonnell, while Snyder got endorsements from Cuccinelli, former Education Secretary Bill Bennett and former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Youngkin touted the nod of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and talk show host Hugh Hewitt.
In a May 11 Facebook post, Chase called the process “a rigged election that allowed only 53K registered voters” to participate. Last week, she posted some photos with her husband during a beach vacation.
Chase lawsuit dismissed
In other news, Chase’s lawsuit against the state Senate over her censure in January was dismissed by federal judge Robert E. Payne on May 13.
Chase’s complaint cited violations of her freedom of speech and due process, but Payne ruled that the Senate and its clerk were immune.
Morrissey said he was surprised by the result.
“I thought her lawsuit had some legs to it,” he said.
Attorney General Mark Herring (D) filed the motion to dismiss the suit. Herring faces Jay Jones (D-Norfolk) in the AG race for the Democratic Party’s nomination. Morrissey has endorsed Jones.
