Stitch up: Candidates Called to State Republican Meeting.

Don’t fall for it. Aspiring Republican candidates for the 2018 battle have been summoned to a Thursday evening meeting at the party’s state headquarters, Daily Ructions can report. Early reports are that it could be an early attempt to rig the system against primary voters.

Aspiring candidates ought to agree to nothing, especially anti-democratic benchmarks. Instead, candidates should test their ideas in the crucible of public exposure. Make you case, gather supporters, raise money. At this early moment, no one knows if Republicans will succeed in reducing the high cost of the state’s taxpayer financing campaign scheme. They ought to insist on that in budget negotiations. They could lower the grants and raise the fundraising thresholds.

Some candidates may want to ignore the party nominating process and collect petition signatures to get on the primary ballot. Party chair J.R. Romano was deeply involved in one of those efforts in 2010 on behalf of U.S. Senate candidate Peter Schiff.

Candidates who have formed exploratory committees need to be very careful in their declarations if they are not going to tumble into the requirements to convert to a candidate committee. This is a tricky area of campaign law and the hopeful will not be in a roomful friends on Thursday.

Proceed with caution. Run your own race .