Yesterday The Republican Standard reported on the story of the opening shots of the civil war within the Democratic Party in Northern Virginia as the Jennifer Wexton/Gerry Connolly forces attempt (poorly) to disenfranchise thousands of voters.
Of course the rhetoric has immediately become very hot as Democrat after Democrat rightly condemned Wexton — and by extension her mentor Congressman Gerry Connolly. Charges of rigging the election and excluding people are flying with reckless abandon, and rightly so.
That simply no way to run a donut shop.
The story was reported by Politico and was generated by the leaking of a recording of a meeting of the 10th District Democrat Committee. Inquiring minds have been speculating which campaign leaked the tape exposing Wexton’s brazen and clumsy power grab, but given the fact that her weak campaign has invited a series of more serious (and more progressive) challengers, one can only presume that the leak is evidence not just of sloppiness on Wexton’s part, but a certain concern that Wexton knows she cannot compete easily with her challengers.
Sources close to TRS in Northern Virginia are speculating that the leaker was most probably Wexton’s chief rival Lindsey Davis Stover. Stover, a former Obama Administration official, has been highly critical of Wexton — and the speculation is simply that the two just don’t like one another.
So what points towards Stover as the leaker?
Well just this — Stover launched a brand new website literally minutes after the story broke on Politico. And by minutes, we are talking under 10 minutes and as odd a correlation as anyone in politics has ever seen.
Did we mention that Stover was a former Obama administration official with the connections it would require to pull a stunt like this off?
The site doesn’t hide its contempt for Wexton’s attempt to change the rules, demanding a primary open to all voters. Color us skeptical that a brand new website could be written, designed and published in a matter of mere minutes — all of which suggests a concert of interests and not mere coincidence.
Of course, if you’re Ralph Northam? You’ve gotta be hitting your head against the wall right now.
Division is just about the last thing Northern Virginia Democrats need to be facing at the moment. Given the fact that Northam and Wexton served together in the Virginia State Senate, one can only presume where Northam’s loyalties lie… hence the very serious fire that the Northam camp practically cannot afford to put out.
Stay tuned, the bloodletting is just beginning.
