Does the Virginia GOP Convention Represent True Democracy?
The Republican Party in Virginia decided to have a primary in 2013, but later changed its mind.
http://mclean.patch.com/articles/poll-should-the-virginia-gop-have-a-convention-or-a-primary
Virginia’s Republican Party annual convention is set for May 17 and 18, and delegates from around the state will select nominees for Lt. Governor and Attorney General.
GOP officials have gone back and forth in recent years on whether to host a convention or conduct an open primary. In 2011, GOP officials had decided to hold a primary in 2013, but a group of newly elected members of the Commonwealth's GOP central committee changed course in 2012 and switched to a closed convention.
The switch to a convention saves local governments and the state money — primaries are paid for with state and local dollars, but convention costs come directly from the Virginia GOP’s funds.
It was the announcement of plans for a 2013 convention that drove Lt. Gov Bil Bolling to forfeit his run at the Republican nomination for governor. Bolling called the convention a mistake that would ultimately hurt Virginia’s Republican Party.