District 50 Republican Delegate Candidate Marsden Chumps Out After Wasting Thousands

Does RPV have A Vetting Problem, Or Is Carelessness A Qualification? OPINION

There are a lot of problematic Candidates popping up all over Virginia- Tim Griffin in the 53rd who will likely be charged for running in District 53 without residing there, Travis Crown running for Supervisor in Hanover, who appears to have claimed military service without serving, Duane Adams Supervisor in Louisa who never disclosed his three runs as a Democrat, and this guy. I’ll wager there are many more. Why? The Party does a lousy job of vetting people. Not just candidates, but also a fair number of Unit Chairs are substandard and other positions are also filled by substandard individuals.

This post is about House of Delegates District #50 including all of Prince Edward County (except for one precinct), a portion of northern Halifax County, and all of Charlotte, Lunenburg, and Mecklenburg Counties.

The issue is one John Marsden who filed to challenge Republican incumbent, Del. Tommy Wright, in the June 20 Primary. Both candidates campaigned vigorously but Marsden officially withdrew from the race on Monday, June 5th. The screenshot below, emailed out by Marsden's campaign, explains his decision to withdraw. 

Many believe Marsden had no chance of winning but the reason he gives for withdrawing is both bizarre and embarrassing and implies immaturity and fiscal irresponsibility on the part of Marsden and calls into question the process of vetting to find quality candidates.

The taxpayer dollars spent so far in accommodating Marsden’s ambition and the taxpayer dollars that will be spent all the way through the Primary on June 20 are significant to the involved counties. 

The question of canceling the Primary, given the circumstance, to save the involved Counties further expense for nothing gained has been raised by rank-and-file Republicans. Whether of law or RPV rules, the Primary cannot be called off at this point.

The following shows the estimated cost to each of these counties:

Charlotte - between $6,000 - $10,000;

Halifax - between $13,000 - $15,000;

Lunenburg - between $6,500 - $7,500;

Mecklenburg - $18,000. ($10,000. already spent); and

Prince Edward - Up to $23,000. ($10,000. already spent).

These cost estimates include paying "Early Voting" personnel in all of these counties from May 5 to June 17, various training sessions in all of these counties, and the cost of paying for election day officers on 6-20.

The time, effort, and cost that must continue to be expended to run a Primary for only ONE candidate is ludicrous. It would certainly be understandable had one of the candidates withdrawn for health reasons, but Marsden’s reason is irresponsible.

Usually, politicians state "personal reasons" or "I need to spend more time with my family" as reasons to drop out, but the excuse given by Marsden is stunning.

Marsden served as Chair of the Prince Edward County Republican Committee many years ago until he was defeated in a re-election bid for the same position. In the spring of 2022, he was again asked to serve as the PE Committee Chair. Marsden stepped down as PE Committee Chair in late February so Vice Chair Diana Shores, “Bonnie” of the Bonnie and Clyde Convention Fixers whose candidate Duane Adams was defeated by John McGuire in an unprecedented victory (63% on the 1st round in a 4 way race) in the 10th Senate District Primary in May. Shores assumed the Chair position and remains as such until a new Chair is elected by the local Republican Committee. 

HCC/ Five and Dime is an opinion blog. I employ satire, commentary, and fact to entertain and convey my opinions on religious, cultural, and political issues.  I expect you to know the difference.