The Republican Party of Virginia was wise not to exercise its legal right to require anyone who wants to vote in Tuesday's March 6 presidential primary to sign a loyalty oath.

Voters would have had to sign a promise to support the eventual GOP nominee and those who refused to sign the loyalty oath would have been refused admission to the voting booth.

Loyalty oaths rub some folks the wrong way, though it would not have been the first time a political party in Virginia had required oath-signing

Most of us have voted for Democrats, Republicans and Independents in our electoral lifetimes. I have voted in one party's primary and then voted for the other party's candidate in the fall general election. But any time I voted in a primary it was always for the man or woman I viewed to be the best candidate from within that party's choices.

Never would I vote for the weakest candidate to help the other party win. That would be a disservice to Virginia, or the US, depending on whether it was a state or federal election. Vote for the weakest candidate and the state or nation could end up with that candidate as governor or president.

I always want the strongest, best candidate from the Republican and Democratic Parties on the ballot so that, whoever wins, our state or our nation will have the best chance of moving forward.

-JKW-