Russ Wright Defeats Nancy Russell 57% – 43% for Hanover Republican Committee Chairman

Russ Wright, a Libertarian leaning Republican challenged Hanover County Republican Committee Chairman Nancy Russell for her seat as Chairman of the Hanover Republican Committee 57% to 43%. The final tally was 168 for Wright and 129 for Russell.

It is not a secret in Hanover County or Central Virginia for that matter that I am pleased almost beyond words to purge the last remaining vestiges of former Congressman Eric Cantor’s party support structure from the old 7th District. Part of the glue that held Cantor’s power empire together was the fealty paid by the local District and County leadership structure. Despite the very Conservative nature of the 7th District, a small handful of Committee Chairs and the District Chair held the strings of power and tilted the machine towards Eric Cantor and those he favored. But one by one they have been defeated as the Great RINO – Conservative War waged on.

The first domino to fall was Linwood Cobb, the Chairman of the 7th Congressional District and Eric Cantor’s right hand man in his home district. Fred Gruber landed the first punch that started the dominoes on their way. When Gruber won, many of us realized that Eric Cantor himself was vulnerable. Gruber pulled off an upset the likes of which have never been seen in the 7th District.

And shortly afterwards, Dave Brat knocked off Cantor himself. And the earth shook. And suddenly, Fred Gruber’s win was no longer an anomaly, but it was the defining moment when the mood of the people manifested itself in a real, tangible way. This was not an accident, but the beginning of something huge happening, not just in Central Virginia, but in the entire nation. A massive awakening was happening and the epicenter was Hanover County, birthplace of none other than Patrick Henry.

For far too long the political class has been ruling the people. And that is not how it works in America. Of the people. For the people. And By the people.

The power structure of Eric Cantor’s kingdom was by and large the three big counties surrounding Richmond, Va. Hanover, Henrico and Chesterfield. And this was the bulk of the 7th District. And Cantorite Don Williams ruled the Chesterfield Republican Committee, Don Boswell ruled Henrico and Nancy Russell, Hanover. They reported to Linwood Cobb who took marching orders from Cantor.

Boswell stepped down as Henrico Chairman, and has perhaps reformed himself a bit. Don Williams did the same in Chesterfield. But Nancy Russell insisted on trying to maintain power in Hanover – and was soundly defeated tonight.

While it would be an error to believe that the Cantor machine has been powered down, there is no doubt it has been damaged severely. Because the power has been cut by several orders of magnitude. And the new court ruling that moved Hanover from the 7th District to the 1st played a part in altering the makeup of the 7th District power structure. With the removal of Hanover and the addition of other areas, the Cantor RINO’s no longer had a majority on the Executive Committees, the Conservatives do. Which may have played a part in Williams and Boswell stepping down as unit chairs.

With Hanover now a part of the 1st District, we now have Rob Whitman as our Congressman. There is no way around admitting Whitman is establishment. Nancy Russell would have easily been in Whitman’s pocket as readily as she was in Cantor’s. So this County Chair election will have a major impact on Whitman. Scuttlebutt is that Whitman is considering running for Governor next year. But now he has a whole new lineup to consider. The very Conservative Hanover County is now a major player in the 1st District and Whitman is unknown to most in Hanover and for those that know him and his record, the reviews are not good.

But the changing of the guard in Hanover has huge ramifications for the 1st District. The automatic seats that go to unit chairs on the District Executive Committee will not be establishment RINO seats now.

So will Hanover lead the way in sending Dave Brat some help and retiring Whitman (assuming he does not run for Governor next year)? I think it may be too early to see the new members make such an impact that soon.

But Whitman must know he is on a short leash.

And let me just give some credit to a friend and fellow grassroots brother in arms John Dixon. He started a Facebook Group that has climbed to nearly 2,500 members. He named several of us as Administrators and the reach and audience of this group played a huge roll in getting the voters to come out tonight and support Russ Wright. The reach and power of this group cannot be underestimated.

And there are a few politicians that are in the cross-hairs that represent Hanover locally and at the state level who ought to be very concerned with the mood of the voters in Hanover. More jobs are on the line. We are watching and discussing your votes. It is all being documented and cataloged. The radar is high and it is low. You can no longer fly under the radar. The landscape has changed. And it reflects the sour mood on the American people who are no longer going to tolerate deception.

One thing is for sure. More politicians who were planning on long careers at the government trough better be looking for new careers. And ask Cantor. Money won’t save you.

Congrats to Russ Wright and the Conservative movement. Well done!