The Washington Post has reported that after trying a backdoor attempt to get back on the ballot after failing to get his paperwork properly filed, “liberty leaning” Republican Nick Frietas may be out of luck.
Twelve days ago, on July 19th, Frietas withdrew from his candidacy. The reasoning was that because his paperwork was filed late, he would withdraw and then be renominated by his party as the candidate for the 30th district of the Virginia state house of delegates.
According to the elections board, a candidate was never nominated in the first place so this strategy in this instance does not stand.
From the Washington Post:
“All applicable deadlines have passed and the Department is not able to accept the form,” Election Services Manager Dave Nichols wrote. Freitas said he intended to appeal the decision to the elections board when it meets Tuesday. “The State Board has an opportunity on August 6th to vote to allow a Republican to be represented on the ballot,” Freitas wrote. “Anything less than that and they call into question years of precedent and open themselves up to the very real charge of putting partisan politics over the people of the 30th District.”
Frietas says that he will mount a write-in campaign if worst comes to worst and his appeal does not succeed. If he does not get on the ballot, this gives a much better chance of winning to the Democrat Ann Ridgeway. This will also be the second time a “Liberty Rising” candidate fails to get on the ballot for an election, after Denver Riggleman’s 2017 Gubernatorial race’s demise. Riggleman, recently in the news for a vote of no confidence from a Virginia GOP committee, is currently the 5th congressional district rep.
