SD 14, Hampton Roads and Outlying Area, Firehouse Primary May 9th

mpg9999 said:

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/04/cosgrove-has-gop-challenger-va-senate-special-election

There is a Republican Firehouse Primary coming up in Senate District 14. Voting is for only three hours on May 9th, from 5 PM to 8 PM. The two candidate are John Cosgrove and Chris Stearns.

Cosgrove was in the house and has been pretty good on gun bills, but he never returned the VCDL Candidate Survey ( http://oldsite.vcdl.org/surveys/Survey_Results_2011_House.html ).

Christopher Stearns was the VA State Coordinator for the 2012 Ron Paul Campaign. He currently serves as the 3rd District Republican Chair. I contacted him with a link to the 2011 VCDL candidate survey and he indicated he would respond 100% pro gun. I'm confident that Mr. Stearns would be a great ally of gun owners in the Senate.

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TFred said:

This may be considered by some here as almost sacrilegious... but I'm going to say it anyway.

Please don't let the fact that a candidate has or has not returned a VCDL survey be your only consideration in deciding who to support.

As much as we may not like to acknowledge it, we live in a world that simply does not revolve around one issue. In order to be elected, candidates have to obtain the support of "half plus one", and in this day and age of voter fraud that "doesn't exist", that probably really means "half plus several hundred."

Over the years, many strong pro-gun candidates have not returned their VCDL surveys. One Delegate, that I would put up there with the best of the gun-friendly crowd, told me he doesn't answer ANY surveys, because they won't help with his supporters, and they can only provide ammunition for his opponents.

Much like debates, the guy who is running behind is going to be the one willing to return the survey. If a Lingamfelter or an Obenshain were running in a primary against someone who responded very favorably in a survey, do you really think we'd be better off supporting someone new instead of these experienced and well-known legislators, even if they chose to not return the survey? In many cases, a voting record is far more valuable than a survey. A survey is a promise. A record is a promise that has been verified.

Please do the required research, reach out and talk to the candidates personally, or attend meetings where they speak.

CRITICALLY IMPORTANT: Evaluate their chances in the general election... it does nobody any good to nominate a 100% pro-gun candidate if they have no chance to win the general election.

Always remember, we're out to win the war, not necessarily every small battle along the way.

TFred

P.S. Don't take this to mean that VCDL surveys are not good... they can be very valuable... they just aren't the one thing that should be used to pick a candidate.

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Chris Stearns doesn’t exactly come from my axis of the Republican Party. He is an avid supporter of Ron Paul. I think Ron Paul’s foreign policy is stupid enough to get us all killed. He wanted to see the RNC rules changes wiped from the books. I supported the measures as pragmatic and necessary. He wanted to oust an effective campaigner and strategist in Mike Thomas from the State Central Committee. If I sat on that committee, Thomas would’ve had my vote.

All of that being said, when you’re making endorsements for elected office, and not party office, you look at voting records and principles, and on those issues, Stearns will be a reliable vote in the Virginia State Senate against tax-hiking big government statism.

That’s why I’m endorsing Chris Stearns in the May 9th Firehouse Primary for Virginia’s 14th Senate District.

His opponent, Delegate John Cosgrove, is exactly what’s wrong with Republicans in Richmond. He voted for Bob McDonnell’s massive transportation tax hike, whereas Stearns would’ve vehemently opposed it. With a divided State Senate that may tilt one way or another this year, we need more stalwart conservatives in the Upper Chamber. Stearns would be that conservative. Cosgrove wouldn’t.

The 14th is a “safe” Republican seat, meaning I’m going to back the most conservative candidate we can field. While I may have issues with Stearns’ libertarian sensibilities, in the realm of state government they mean very little. He will be a vote against high taxes, a vote against unnecessary regulations, a vote for sensible energy policy and a vote for limited government. The Virginia Senate desperately needs more of those votes.

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mpg9999 said:

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/04/cosgrove-has-gop-challenger-va-senate-special-election

There is a Republican Firehouse Primary coming up in Senate District 14. Voting is for only three hours on May 9th, from 5 PM to 8 PM. The two candidate are John Cosgrove and Chris Stearns.

Cosgrove was in the house and has been pretty good on gun bills, but he never returned the VCDL Candidate Survey ( http://oldsite.vcdl.org/surveys/Survey_Results_2011_House.html ).

Christopher Stearns was the VA State Coordinator for the 2012 Ron Paul Campaign. He currently serves as the 3rd District Republican Chair. I contacted him with a link to the 2011 VCDL candidate survey and he indicated he would respond 100% pro gun. I'm confident that Mr. Stearns would be a great ally of gun owners in the Senate.

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Old Virginia Joe said:

My wife was at the regional homeschool meeting yesterday, and she heard a report there that said there was another conservative in this race----from a homeschool family, usually a VERY good proof of conservative commitment and hard sacrifice. A "put your money where your mouth is" kind of proof. I don't have the name handy right now, but is this true? Anyone know anything about him, and why are we only talking about these two here on OCDO?

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paramedic70002 said:

This is what I think about politicians answering surveys:

When the VCDL, which is known to sling mud upon those who do NOT complete a survey, sends you a survey, you best answer it. Don't want the opposition to attack your stand? Do you really have a "stand?" Don't run if you can't take the heat.

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Old Virginia Joe said:

My wife was at the regional homeschool meeting yesterday, and she heard a report there that said there was another conservative in this race----from a homeschool family, usually a VERY good proof of conservative commitment and hard sacrifice. A "put your money where your mouth is" kind of proof. I don't have the name handy right now, but is this true? Anyone know anything about him, and why are we only talking about these two here on OCDO?

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Old Virginia Joe said:

My wife was at the regional homeschool meeting yesterday, and she heard a report there that said there was another conservative in this race----from a homeschool family, usually a VERY good proof of conservative commitment and hard sacrifice. A "put your money where your mouth is" kind of proof. I don't have the name handy right now, but is this true? Anyone know anything about him, and why are we only talking about these two here on OCDO?

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palerider116 said:

Did you ever find out who this is? My family homeschools.

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TFred said:

Unfortunately, politics is rarely a Boolean equation. It's views like this that can cost elections, sometimes critical ones. We have to face the fact that there are some districts where the majority of the voting population will not respond positively to a 100% pro-gun VCDL survey. Would you rather a candidate answer honestly and lose the election, or not answer, win the election, and support us when the votes count?

TFred

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minarchist said:

I volunteered for Stearns' campaign last weekend. About fifty of us knocked on doors of registered voters throughout the area. Now that the polls are closed, I'm anxious to see if he won.

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