Virginia GOP picks new interim chairman

RICHMOND — The state GOP’s central committee elected Louisa County Republican Chairman Pat Mullins on Saturday to serve as party chairman until Republicans statewide vote on a new leader later this month.

In April, the party’s ruling committee voted 57-18 to oust embattled Del. Jeff Frederick from the post he had held for just 10 months.

Frederick had angered party leaders by his handling of party finances and embarrassed the party last fall with his widely publicized comparison of Democrat Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden. His position was further weakened when Virginia Republicans lost three U.S. House seats, the state’s second Senate seat, and saw Obama become the first Democrat to carry Virginia in a presidential race in 44 years.

By voice vote Saturday, the committee chose Mullins to fill the spot until the May 29-30 convention, where delegates will select a new full-time chairman to complete the three years remaining on Frederick’s term.

“We have very important elections that are coming up this fall,” said Richard Neel, committee treasurer. “The longer we wait to have a chairman in place, the more time we lose in terms of organizing and raising money to prepare for this fall’s elections.”

“The ultimate decision still will be in the hands of grass roots Republicans on who the chairman will be,” he said.

Mullins is a longtime Republican activist and former Fairfax County GOP chairman with his base of support in the party’s conservative wing, but who established alliances with some of the party’s moderates. In Fairfax, he helped one of the GOP’s best-known moderates, former Rep. Thomas M. Davis, with his races for Congress and for the Fairfax Board of Supervisors before that.

Mullins moved to rural Louisa County in central Virginia and sells insurance policies on horses.

Mullins said his experience as Republican chairman in both large and rural communities puts him in a unique position to understand the needs of Republicans all across the state.

In addition to raising money, Mullins said he would focus on reaching out to minorities and unifying the party, among other things.

“We’ve got some divisions that have to be healed,” he said. “One way to do that in my mind is to get down to the grass roots Republicans and let them know we’re there for them.”

Republicans are hoping to recapture the governor’s mansion in November and to hold on to their six-seat majority in the House of Delegates, where all 100 seats are on the ballot.

While Mullins is raising money, unifying the party and reaching out the county committee, he must also campaign to hold onto his new position. He and Neel said it was likely one or more candidates would run against him at the convention.

Mullins said he would reach out to each of the more than 10,400 delegates who have signed up for the convention.

“If I get opposition, we’ll just do what we need to do to win the convention. If I don’t get opposition, we’ll go into fundraising mode for the party,” Mullins said.

Any candidate must send a letter of intent to the nominating committee by May 12 and meet with the committee by May 18 to be verified and get his or her name on the ballot.

Alexandra Liddy Bourne of Fairfax County had expressed interest in challenging Mullins, but Neel said she decided to join with Mullins in anticipation of a leadership role in the party if he is elected chairman at the convention.