RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Republican Party of Virginia’s top committee is backing a hardline conservative over a longtime incumbent in a pitched nomination battle for a state House seat.The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the GOP’s State Central Committee voted Saturday to affirm Scott Wyatt as the party’s nominee over Del. Chris Peace.Some conservatives want Peace out of his Richmond-area seat after he voted last year to expand Medicaid.Previously, Wyatt claimed victory after a local convention picked him while Peace said he was the legitimate nominee after winning a modified primary contest.Peace slammed Saturday’s vote but did not indicate whether he plans to sue or run as an independent.The committee also decided to pick the GOP nominee for the 2020 U.S. Senate race via a primary instead of a convention.
