Saturday, Scott Wyatt defeated Incumbent Delegate Chris Peace at a Republican Convention in Hanover County to win the GOP’s nod for the 97th House District.
As the Republican nominee, Wyatt is almost certain to win the general election in this ruby-red conservative district.
Wyatt was able to mount conservative opposition after Del. Peace voted with Governor Northam’s effort to pass Medicaid expansion under Obamacare in Virginia.
During Mass Meetings leading up to Saturday’s Convention, Peace explained that due to Republicans suffering major election defeats in 2017 he believed some sort of Medicaid expansion was inevitable.
Peace stated he and other moderate Republicans attempted to add work requirements to the expansion. However, work requirements have not yet been implemented due to a pending federal waiver.
For some voters, this didn’t explain why a Republican would vote for an agenda item pushed by the Democrat party.
“I guess it’s OK if you’re in politics,” Angela Rook, a King William resident, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “But for somebody who has their mind made up to vote for you if you’re A or B. And you’re A. And you vote B. That makes me a little concerned.” 1
No Democrat Challengers Have Emerged to Challenge Republicans in the HD97 General Election
As the Republican nominee, Scott Wyatt currently has no opposition heading into the General Election.
Since a convention was first selected as the nomination method in January, Del. Peace has continued to advocate for electing the GOP nominee through a primary election, or a firehouse primary, which he prefers over a convention.
But since the Incumbent Act, a law allowing incumbent state legislators to decide their own nomination method, was struck down earlier this year, the Legislative District Committee was able to opt for a convention.2
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