Questions follow nominations in two congressional districts

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Democrats in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District and Republicans in the 9th District have declared their nominees for the November election.

But other candidates are saying not so fast.

Josh Throneburg is an ordained minister and small business owner who lives in Charlottesville. He was preparing for a June primary, but now holds the Democratic nomination in the 5th District.

“We got the call yesterday from the 5th District Chair, letting us know that I would be the candidate, the nominee for the Democratic Party in the general election,” Throneburg told WDBJ7 Wednesday morning. “So obviously we’ve been working really hard and are excited to get to this point and excited for the work ahead.”

That came as a surprise to Andy Parker, who submitted petitions with more than the 1,000 signatures required. But a Democratic Party spokesperson said the 5th District Committee was able to verify only 937 as registered voters in the district.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Parker thanked everyone who has supported his campaign.

“As allotted by Virginia election law, we are taking a few days to perform a forensic audit on our petition signatures,” Parker said. “When that is complete, we will explore our options.”

Republicans in the 9th District reported a similar situation, declaring incumbent Congressman Morgan Griffith the party’s nominee, and telling challenger Kimberly Lowe she did not submit enough valid signatures.

Lowe told WDBJ7 she submitted 1400 signatures, and said she’s confident she had enough verifiable names to qualify.

Lowe said she plans to appeal through the Republican Party, and if necessary in state and federal courts.

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