It looks like some of the state Republican bigwigs have finally realized how bad having someone like Catherine Crabill as a Republican nominee is according to The WaPo:
No, Bob McDonnell is not attending an upcoming fundraiser with Republican House of Delegates candidate Catherine Crabill. Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling won’t be there either. Attorney general candidate Ken Cuccinelli II also will not appear with Crabill.
In fact, the Republican Party of Virginia has formally decided it will be giving Crabill no support for her campaign against Del. Albert Pollard, and chairman Pat Mullins has sent word to Crabill that he would prefer that she step aside and not run for the seat.
The folks at the Democratic Party of Virginia rightly had this say in a single-sentence statement: “Why did it take 29 days?”
A better question, however, is why did it take them 124 days since her belief that the federal government was responsible for the Oklahoma City Bombing was publicized on this blog, to repudiate her as a Republican?
This is an unmitigated disaster for Republicans and it never should have gotten to this point. No one involved in this situation has displayed an inkling of leadership in dealing with the problems presented by having this nut running for office.
All it should have taken was one person, just one, coming out before the committee met and nominated her, to stop this whole situation from becoming a problem. And it didn’t have to be — and shouldn’t have to have been — Bob McDonnell’s, Bill Bolling’s, or Ken Cuccinelli’s campaign.
Pat Mullins, then-interim Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, or Speaker Bill Howell, or Republican House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, or even State Senator for the Northern Neck, Richard Stuart or Congressman Rob Wittman could have done it.
But none of them set up to the plate and did it. And now, we’re left with this nut as a nominee. Instead of finding a candidate that could given a Pollard a run for his money and possibly have beaten him, we have a nut that will receive 10% of the vote (at most) in one of the most Republican-friendly districts in the state.
And she’s not going to step down, she made that clear as the convention.
And it gets worst: The 99th Legislative Direct Republican Committee’s Chairman, Allen Webb, has sent out an e-mail saying that he will continue to support Crabill’s candidacy and if the committee doesn’t like that, they can remove him. Here’s hoping they do.
There should have been someone else out there telling the Republicans that this nominee was going to be a disaster. Someone besides me and a couple of other bloggers.
H/t: Fred2Blue.