The tumultuous political battle between Del. Chris Peace and his challenger Scott Wyatt for the GOP nod in the 97th House District became even more chaotic this past week.

As far as the challenger and his supporters are concerned, the district has its Republican nominee. That’s because Wyatt earned more votes in a disputed convention held Saturday in Hanover County.

However, after voting in January to hold the convention, the 97th Legislative District Committee voted to cancel it just days before the event. The committee now looks to hold a party canvass to select a nominee. A meeting is planned Wednesday to discuss the particulars of holding that vote.

And on top of it all, senior state GOP leaders jumped into the fray in the run up to the convention, lining up on opposing sides of a political fight that seems far from over.

A disputed convention

Hundreds of delegates converged on Atlee High School Saturday to vote in the disputed convention.

Trumpeted by the Wyatt campaign as a legitimate vote and declared officially canceled by the Peace campaign, the former’s supporters turned out in force while the latter’s supporters stayed home. Wyatt easily won the vote. There were 486 delegates who cast votes; about 1,700 people filed to be delegates during the mass meetings that preceded the convention.

Jack Jacobs/Staff file A Hanover delegate casts his vote during the disputed 97th District convention May 4, 2019. The 97th Legislative District Committee chairman proceeded with the event despite a vote by the committee to cancel it a few days prior. A Hanover delegate casts his vote during the disputed 97th District convention May 4, 2019. The 97th Legislative District Committee chairman proceeded with the event despite a vote by the committee to cancel it a few days prior. (Jack Jacobs/Staff file)

“This is an approved (Republican Party of Virginia) process to elect a candidate,” committee chairman Thomas Miller told the delegates arrayed before him in the high school’s gym. “To cancel this process, having been approved in January, just three days before the event, in my opinion, and my opinion only, is just flat wrong.”

In an email the Peace campaign shared on Facebook Friday, Republican Party of Virginia chairman Jack Wilson supported the committee’s decision to cancel the convention, saying it had the power to do so, and declared that any event that happened Saturday would be a “Scott Wyatt event.”

“It will not be a convention to choose a nominee for public office. It will be paid for by supporters of Scott Wyatt’s campaign, not the Party,” Wilson said in the email.

Wilson’s characterization of the convention felt pretty close to the mark to someone sitting in the high school’s gym. There wasn’t a Peace sign or sticker in sight, but plenty of both for Wyatt, who entered the gym to a standing ovation.

Several delegates interviewed by the Tidewater Review said they believed the convention vote was legitimate — they wouldn’t have showed up otherwise.

The support of Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. “Tommy” Norment, whose district shares some constituents with the 97th House District, for the convention brought New Kent delegate Roger Shakley, a Wyatt supporter, out on Saturday.

In a statement Friday, Norment voiced support for the convention, arguing the convention vote is legitimate and there didn’t appear to be any legal challenges filed to dispute it.

“There were no legal steps taken to stop this from happening,” Shakley said. “In my opinion, you don't stop something like this by telling people not to come. You stop it through legal channels."

Peace did not appear to be in attendance at the convention. Wyatt expressed no anxiety about the convention vote being overturned, challenged in court or otherwise derailed.

“I’ll leave it up to the legislative district committee. As the committee chair stated, he plans on certifying the candidate,” he said.

The Wyatt campaign sent out a statement declaring victory shortly after the convention Saturday afternoon.

“I'm honored to receive the Republican nomination for the 97th House of Delegates seat,” Wyatt said.

Last Wednesday, the committee voted to cancel the convention and instead hold a party canvass in June, which is essentially a primary held by the party and sometimes referred to as a firehouse primary.

Jack Jacobs/Staff file The 97th Legislative District Committee chairman said he intended to carry out the convention at a special meeting at the Ashland Branch Library May 1, 2019. After he ended the meeting, the committee voted to cancel the convention. The 97th Legislative District Committee chairman said he intended to carry out the convention at a special meeting at the Ashland Branch Library May 1, 2019. After he ended the meeting, the committee voted to cancel the convention. (Jack Jacobs/Staff file)

Those decisions came after Miller declined to entertain a motion to cancel the convention, calling it out of order. He cited his understanding of the Party plan, which prohibits canceling an in-progress election. After he declared the meeting over and left, the committee voted to cancel the convention.

“We voted to cancel the convention and to hold a canvass,” King William representative John Hubbard said at that meeting. “It is by far the fairest way to do this.”

Hubbard and Hanover representative Michael Reynold, who was represented by a proxy Wednesday, had expressed concerns about the logistics of holding the convention in previous sessions of the special meeting, saying several factors — such as a lack of a contract to utilize the school as a venue — posed hurdles to holding the convention.

The committee plans to meet Wednesday to work out the details of the party canvass, which is scheduled for June 1. The meeting will be held at the Upper King William Library and is open to the public.

Committee members are expected to discuss a logistics report and adopt rules for the canvass, according to the agenda.

The widening struggle

Camps for both Peace and Wyatt have accused each other of tactics designed to tip the scales in its own favor as delegates were selected over the course of three mass meetings throughout the district — which consists of New Kent and parts of King William and Hanover counties.

Right before the convention, a number of the state’s high-profile Republicans weighed in.

“These individuals have been duly elected. Canceling the convention after these individuals have been elected would be comparable to canceling a general election at 6 p.m. on Election Day because of dissatisfaction with those who turned out to vote,” Norment said in a statement Friday. “In issuing a statement asserting that tomorrow’s convention is anything but a duly-called convention, Chairman Wilson has overstepped his authority and usurped the powers reserved for the State Central Committee.”

Wilson fired back shortly after Norment’s statement in a post to the state Party’s website Friday.

“The Party Plan is clear, the 97th Legislative District Committee decides the election process in its boundaries. On Wednesday night, the 97th LDC, recognizing the significant concerns with the convention, voted with 76 percent of the vote to cancel the convention and choose a canvass,” Wilson said. “Nothing in Senator Norment’s release addresses or changes these facts.”

Del. Kirk Cox, Speaker of the House, shared Wilson’s response to Norment on Twitter Friday, calling for GOP unity as the November election inches closer.

“(Wilson) deserves nothing but our full confidence and support between now and November. It’s crucial that all Republicans focus on holding our majorities in the General Assembly,” Cox said.