Virginia presidential primary could lead to chaos

By: Ryan Nobles – bio | email

After what happened in Michigan last week, the Romney campaign is worried it could happen again. Voters, who aren’t necessarily supporters of their opponent, going to the polls and casting a ballot for them in an open primary, just to keep Romney from the nomination.

The Super Tuesday state where Romney is most vulnerable may be Virginia. With an open primary, no democratic contest and several GOP candidates who didn’t make the Virginia primary ballot, many people interested in participating in the process are left with nothing to do. While they all support someone else, they are united in one thing: Seeing Mitt Romney lose.

Tonight on NBC12 I explored the possibility of “Operation Chaos” coming to Virginia:

RICHMOND (WWBT) – The Virginia presidential primary is now less than a week away and even though there are only two of a possible four candidates on the ballot, there is still the potential for the vote to create havoc.

It is not a new phenomenon, voters taking advantage of an open primary to cast a ballot for a candidate they may not support, but one that could help defeat another candidate.

Liz Mair is a libertarian leaning republican political consultant, who to put it bluntly, is not very happy with the GOP presidential field.

“I am a disenfranchised Virginia voter,” she said. “That’s actually what I would say.”

At one time she worked for Texas Governor Rick Perry, and she liked former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, both are no longer in the race. Mair is not sure who to support, but she knows who she doesn’t like.

“I have historically not had a lot of love for Mitt Romney,” she said.

Mair will cast her vote for the only other option: Ron Paul. The Romney campaign is worried there are many others like her. Republicans who aren’t ready to support the former Massachusetts governor, and those who like Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, the other candidates still in the race, but not on the ballot.

Mair, who has been around many campaigns, believes if things fall the right way, it could have an impact.

“I wouldn’t want to predict what that would mean numerically,” said Mair. “But I think it could result in some interesting activity.”

..read and see the full story on NBC12.com