Just less than one year ago, Virginia state Delegate Jeff Frederick (R) unseated former Lieutenant Governor (and Jenna Bush father-in-law) John Hager as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. To say that this has been manna from heaven for those of us in the Democratic Party might be hyperbolic...but only by a little bit. Unfortunately, it seems as if the elephants have wised up to their mistake and will be seeking to oust Chairman Frederick at their April 4th state party meeting.
From this morning's Richmond Times-Dispatch:
The governing body of the Republican Party of Virginia apparently is poised to dump its embattled chairman barely nine months after he took power in a coup against the GOP's old guard.
But the chairman, Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick, R-Prince William, is vowing to fight removal and says he has enough support within the party's central committee to survive an ouster vote April 4.
Embattled VA GOP Chair Jeff Frederick
Del. Frederick was not expected to beat Lt. Gov. Hager for the job when he ran for the position last year. Hager was supposed to win convincingly, as was fmr. Gov. Jim Gilmore in the nomination race for U.S. Senate. Hager lost, and Gilmore barely eked out a win. One of the reasons given for Hager's defeat was the downward slide of the state Republican Party. Under Hager's leadership, the Republicans lost seats in both legislative chambers and lost the majority in the state Senate.
Since the election of Del. Frederick as the GOP leader in Virginia, things have only gotten better for us. We now control both U.S. Senate seats, we picked up three U.S. House seats (better than any other state in the union for net 2008 pickups), and we carried the state for Barack Obama--the first time a Democrat has won the state's electoral votes since President Johnson in 1964.
The Washington Times (yeah, I know...) reports:
The 33-year-old, who announced last month that he would not run for a fourth term as a Prince William County representative in the House, pledged to rebuild and mobilize a state party struggling to stem Democratic gains.
Under his leadership, however, Barack Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since 1964; former Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat, won the seat of a retiring Republican; and Democrats reversed the Republican majority among the state's congressional delegation in November elections.
Mr. Frederick was criticized during the presidential campaign for saying Mr. Obama and Osama bin Laden "both have friends that bombed the Pentagon."
For his part, according to WWBT-TV (NBC 12 in Richmond), Del. Frederick is refusing to stand down:
"I will not retreat from the commitment I made to the core of our Party who clearly and unmistakably expressed their will at last May’s convention. I have every intention of continuing as Chairman and completing my term in May 2012. I have the commitments necessary to win the vote on April 4th, and will fulfill my term and the commitment to the people who entrusted me to lead our Party back to victory."
Unfortunately, according to The Virginian-Pilot, Frederick has even lost the support of the titutlar head of the party, presumptive 2009 gubernatorial nominee and former state Atty. General Bob McDonnell:
Former Attorney General Bob McDonnell, the state party's standard-bearer as the presumptive gubernatorial nominee, endorsed the effort to remove Frederick.
"It is clear to me, after hearing from Republican leaders across the state, that as we move forward with our campaign, as well as the other statewide and House of Delegates races, it would be helpful for the Republican Party of Virginia to have more effective leadership in this pivotal year," McDonnell said in an e-mail sent Thursday.
I'm torn on this. I love what Frederick has done to the GOP and would have to see him go. At the same time, I love when the GOP eats their own.