E. W. Jackson Wins GOP Lieutenant Governor Nomination

Chesapeake minister and attorney E.W. Jackson won the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor late in the night Saturday after a long afternoon of voting to narrow the field from seven candidates.

Jackson joins gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli and attorney general contender Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, as the top Republicans in the upcoming election.

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, businessman Pete Snyder withdrew from the race for lieutenant governor late Saturday. At least one blog, bearingdrift.com, notes E.W.Jackson won the final vote with 58 percent.

Endorsement Errors

Jackson had led the voting throughout the day. He just narrowly fell short in the third vote of the 50 percent he needed to clinch the nomination.

Campaigns routinely have fliers prepared for any last-minute endorsement that might sway votes on the floor. With the two final candidates set, fliers appeared announcing Snyder endorsements from Obenshain and Corey Stewart, the chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.

Obenshain's "endorsement" was even reported in the live blog from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Neither man said he endorsed Snyder and Stewart went so far as to walk the convention floor with Jackson to prove the announcement was false.

"It's a lie," said Stewart, who finished third in the nominating contest for lieutenant governor after three rounds of voting. "I never endorsed Pete Snyder. I was going to stay out of this thing."

Snyder's communications director, Chris Bond, said it was one individual with the campaign who mistakenly distributed a "small number" of the fliers on the floor. Once the error was identified, an attempt was made to collect as many as possible.