The Virginia Constitution calls for a redistricting of voting districts every 10 years. In the case of Patrick County the implementation of this has resulted in our having two duly elected Republican Delegates in a legislative district where, “there can be only one”. As a result, there will be a primary election in spring of 2023 to choose who will be the Republican nominee and our presumptive representative in the house of delegates.
While nearly half of the 100 delegate positions were shuffled in some way, only our district has become so contentious that the contest has degenerated into what appear on the surface to be actual physical confrontation and assault.
Patrick County’s Wren Williams is alleged to have assaulted Delegate Marie March at a Republican fundraising dinner and get together. Mrs. March is our neighbor from Floyd County.
Delegate Marie March Press Release
Police Body Cam Video
Police body cam video has surfaced that would seem to strongly support Mrs. March’s claim. In contrast Delegate Williams own behavior following the incident seems highly suspect and smacks of an individual covering tracks and spinning a narrative. He later refers to one of his aides distrust of Delegate March in a story not related to the assault in order to paint a picture of his own victim-hood. This is a practice know as deflection and is in no way an action of the righteous. He goes on to grossly misrepresent a video asserting that it exonerates him while it just leaves viewers scratching their heads.
When Wren Williams won his seat in the House of Delegates it was by the good grace and support of Patrick county residents. There can be no doubt that our county voters alone carried him to victory on their shoulders. Wren would do well to consider that in this newly re-drawn district, his hometown status and his family name will not aid him to the same great extent.
This situation is an embarrassment to our county on many levels. Engaging in this sort of public drama let alone doing it in another representatives district is very bad form. Striking a woman, if true carries its own sort of scarlet letter that Wren will have to wear convicted or not. Even if you are from the modern school of thought where women are equal in all aspects, striking another person outside of self defense is reprehensible.
Justice is in motion and preliminary court dates have been set. What will happen in the interim, for those uninitiated in the inner workings of politics, is that Senior State and Party Republicans will attempt to convince Mrs. March to drop the charges in the name of party unity. The truth is that the State Republican Party likes Wren because he is a “yes” man. This means that a vote along party lines is in the bag with him. Delegate March on the other hand is more of a Purist Republican. She leans toward a more traditional republican value set and much like Ronald Reagan aspires to less government and more freedoms in our lives.
In our opinion Patrick County’s Wren Williams should simply resign his seat or at minimum back out of the coming race for delegate. If he persists Patrick county will be placed in the position of demonstrating it’s moral and ethical fabric to all of Virginia. Will we go along to get along? Ignore unethical behavior by one of our most prominent representatives? Or will we practice the Christian Republican values that we profess and support the candidate that most reflects those very values.
Keywords: Patrick County, Wren Williams, Marie March, Delegate