Trump slams Virginia GOP over primary party pledge: ‘It begins’

Voters in Virginia’s Republican primary will be required to sign their names to a nine-word statement that reads: “My signature below indicates that I am a Republican”.

Q. Are you surprised that NY billionaire Donald Trump’s lead in the polls has lasted so long among Republicans? A voter who signs the statement won’t be known in law as a member of any party, but the record will note that he cast a ballot in the 2016 GOP primary and signed a piece of paper that says he is “a Republican”.

“A Donald Trump nomination would be very bad for some of the senators”, Navarro said, “folks running statewide in some of the purple and blue states…”

“As this Statement of Affiliation gets discussed, many in the media are misconstruing its intent and terminology”, Virginia GOP executive director John Findlay said in a statement. The GOP presidential candidate even went as far as to accuse the party of trying to disallow independent voters.

Paladino expressed his support for Trump’s campaign in an open letter to the state’s Republicans, and urges party leadership to end their neutrality, especially with Democratic party leadership already backing Hillary Clinton. “It is not targeting any candidate, group of voters or an unreasonable barrier to voting”.

Mr Trump wants to turn the United States into a fortress, preventing Muslims, in particular, from entering the country. Most polls show Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton beating Trump in a matchup. In New Hampshire, unaffiliated voters may vote in the primary. Moreover Mr Trump, in an interview scheduled to air later this afternoon on Manchester, New Hampshire TV station WMUR, saw the New Jersey governor playing a role and said “Chris is behind this”. Hard-core conservatives influenced by the tea party movement have tended to support the pledge, while moderate establishment Republicans generally do not.

But Del. David Ramadan (R) said on Sunday that he supports the party requirement.

Political analyst Paul Goldman isn’t buying it. “Clearly, this is aimed at Mr. Trump”. Some, he said, attacked both his position and his heritage, using obscenity and insulting images. The Republican presidential hopeful made some fiery statements on Twitter after learning that all voters in the primary elections who want to vote for a Republican need to sign a paper pledging that they are themselves Republicans. Paladino says Trump has no filter but that frankness is resonating with many frustrated voters.