Virginia GOP Primary Strategy: How to Win Under the New Rules

If you’re a Republican candidate running for office in Virginia, you’ve probably heard the ongoing debate over conventions versus primaries. But as of 2025, that debate is settled—at least for now.

A change in Virginia election law means that every nomination contest—from Supervisor to Governor—will be decided through a state-run primary. This shift dramatically changes the campaign landscape, requiring candidates to rethink how they organize, fundraise, and connect with voters.

For Republican candidates, adapting to these new rules will be essential to winning the nomination and securing victory in November.

What Changed?

In 2021, Delegate Dan Helmer introduced legislation that effectively eliminated party-run nomination methods like conventions, firehouse primaries, and mass meetings.

The bill passed in 2021 and took effect in 2024.

Now, every political party in Virginia must use a state-run primary to nominate its candidates. The law—sometimes called “Helmer’s Law”—requires that all absentee voters, including those overseas, students, individuals with disabilities, and others, must have the ability to participate in the nomination process.

Since firehouse primaries, mass meetings, and conventions lack the infrastructure to accommodate absentee voting, they have effectively been eliminated.

Why This Matters for Republican Candidates

For Republicans running in 2025, this means several key things:

No more party-controlled conventions. The Virginia GOP can no longer use mass meetings or conventions to select nominees.
Broader voter turnout in primaries. Republican candidates must now compete in larger, state-run primary elections, where name recognition and voter outreach play a bigger role.
Campaign strategy will look different. Winning a state-run primary requires a different playbook than securing a convention nomination. Targeting voters effectively is more important than ever.

It should be noted that Republicans in Virginia’s 6th Congressional District have filed a lawsuit challenging the law. But for now, state-run primaries are the only game in town—and that means Republican candidates must be prepared to compete in a completely different political environment.

What This Means for Your Campaign

Before this law, local party leaders had the power to choose the method of nomination. Depending on their decision, a Republican candidate might have faced a firehouse primary, mass meeting, or convention—each requiring different campaign strategies.

Now, every candidate with a challenger must win a state-run primary to advance to the general election. Instead of focusing on party insiders or organizing delegate slates, Republican candidates must campaign directly to registered voters in their district.

For example, if you’re running for Supervisor in a district with three precincts, every registered voter in those precincts is eligible to vote in the primary. Voters can participate through early voting or on Election Day, just like in a general election.

Candidate Strategy: Adapting to the New Rules

For Republican candidates, knowing the rules early gives you an advantage. You can structure your campaign strategy from day one to align with the state-run primary system—but this also means you’ll need a different approach than past elections.

Winning in a state-run primary requires:

✅ A strong ground game – You need to identify, engage, and turn out voters across your district.

✅ Smarter use of campaign funds – Unlike a convention, where you could focus on a small group of delegates, a primary means you’ll be reaching a much larger voter base.

✅ A digital and data-driven strategy – Reaching primary voters through targeted ads, texting, mail, and direct voter contact is now more critical than ever.

✅ A well-planned messaging approach – Since more voters will participate, clear messaging, voter persuasion, and name recognition will play a much bigger role.

With limited resources, knowing where and when to invest in voter engagement efforts will be the difference between winning and losing in this new primary system.

How Assembly Strategies Can Help Republican Candidates Win

At Assembly Strategies, we specialize in helping Republican candidates in Virginia navigate the new primary system with a winning campaign strategy.

With the shift to mandatory primaries, the old rules no longer apply. To win in 2025, candidates must:

Build a broader voter outreach plan
Develop a smart fundraising and spending strategy
Effectively target and persuade primary voters
Create a strong ground game and messaging strategy

The campaign strategy that worked in the past won’t work under these new rules—which is why Republican candidates need expert guidance.

Need a Game Plan? Let’s Talk.

If you’re running in a 2025 Virginia primary, now is the time to build a strong strategy. Reach out to Assembly Strategies today to discuss how we can help your campaign win under Virginia’s new primary system.

📩 Contact us now to get started.