Washington Post: “Voters appeared to turn out in large numbers — by convention standards — although the party did not have a total available by Saturday evening.”

“A crew of about 60 will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday to tally the ballots by hand, a method three gubernatorial contenders demanded amid fears that vote-counting software the party was considering could be rigged against them. Determining a winner will be no simple matter. Convention rules require the nominee to secure a majority, not a mere plurality. [The ranked-choice] ballots will be tallied over and over, with the lowest vote-getter dropping off after each round.”

Wall Street Journal: “Virginia Republicans are picking their nominee at a convention via a ranked-choice voting system, with delegates gathering to make their choices at dozens of locations around the state. Results aren’t expected to be tallied and made public until next week.”

“Former Virginia GOP officials — including those from the state’s northern parts, where proximity to Washington, D.C., and growth have helped accelerate widespread Democratic victories — say Republicans risk a Democratic win if they nominate a candidate too closely aligned with Mr. Trump.”

The Hill: Virginia GOP set for wild, unpredictable convention.

Virginia Mercury: “An AR-15 brandished during a virtual candidate forum. A flood of mysterious attack mailers. A candidate’s unabashed love of hot dogs.”

“The contest to become the Republican candidate for governor is entering its final week, and the race remains just as unusual as when it started.”

Meanwhile, Medium Buying reports that the two former business executives–Pete Snyder and Glenn Youngkin have dominated the spending: out of more than $4.6 million in TV and radio spending on the Republican side, Glenn Youngkin has spent $2.2 million and Pete Snyder has spent $1.85 million.

A new Public Policy Polling survey in Virginia finds former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) leading the Democratic gubernatorial primary with 42%, while every other candidate trailed at single digits.

Virginia state Sen. Amanda Chase (R) claims she will run as an independent if one of her rivals for the Republican nomination for Virginia Governor in 2021–businessman Pete Snyder (R)–wins the nominating convention, reports the Virginia Scope.

Chase claims the May 8th nominating convention is being rigged to favor Snyder, and that if Snyder wins, she has already collected enough signatures to run as an independent.

“Former President Trump is already deeply involved in the 2022 midterm elections, headlining fundraisers and backing primary challengers, but he has yet to weigh in on one of this November’s few races: the vote for Virginia’s next governor,” The Hill reports.

“After months of disagreement, the Virginia Republican Party’s governing body agreed Tuesday night on a method to nominate statewide candidates for the November election. They’ll hold a drive-up convention May 8 on the campus of Liberty University,” the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.

“The decision followed feuds among members of the party’s State Central Committee, who had opted for a convention to nominate candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. But such a gathering would be illegal under Virginia’s COVID-19 rules.”

“They plan to use ranked-choice voting, so delegates would fill out one ballot and list their choices.”

A new Wason Center poll in Virginia finds former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) leading in the Democrats’ primary race for governor with 26%, followed by Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) at 12%, but 46% of Democratic voters are still undecided.

On the Republican side, State Sen. Amanda Chase (R) leads Republican field for governor with 17%, with former Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox at 10% and tech entrepreneur Pete Snyder at 6%; but 55% of Republican voters say they are undecided.

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi is endorsing Terry McAuliffe’s campaign in a very crowded Democratic primary that will winnow the field of those seeking to be the next governor of Virginia,” Axios reports.

“McAuliffe, who already served one term as governor, faces competition from four other Democrats. He’s looking to Pelosi to help burnish his credentials with female and progressive voters in this year’s contested race.”

“Terry McAuliffe (D) announced Monday that he has raised more than $6 million for his comeback bid for Virginia governor, far surpassing what previous gubernatorial hopefuls have raised at similar points in their campaigns,” the Washington Post reports.

“Terry McAuliffe (D), who mixed business-friendly politics with liberal social policies over four hard-charging years as Virginia governor, will announce Wednesday that he wants his old job back,” the Washington Post reports.

“A win would make McAuliffe only the second governor since the Civil War to make a comeback in Virginia, the lone state to bar its chief executive from serving back-to-back terms.”

Former Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox (R) formally announced Tuesday that he will seek the Republican nomination for governor, hoping to become the first Republican elected to the office in over a decade, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has filed the paperwork to run for his old office, the Washington Post reports.

But a spokesman said he won’t make an official decision to run until after the general election in November.

Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA) said he’s seriously considering running for Virginia governor, just weeks after his own party voted against giving him a second term in Congress, Bloomberg reports.

Said Riggleman: “The Virginia Republican Party is so broken. Maybe it is time for a third-party run.”

While his office maintains it was not an “official” announcement, Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) told a group of seniors that he will “be planning to run” for Virginia governor in 2021, the Petersburg Progress-Index reports.