Sen. Amanda Chase, R-11th, of Chesterfield, is running a hard-right campaign for governor, but before she takes on any Democrats, sheâs battling leaders of her own party.
The state GOP voted last weekend to select its candidate for governor in a convention rather than an open primary, prompting Chase to threaten to enter the race as an independent unless the party reverses course.
Courtesy of Virginia Mercury
Chase has embraced a Trump-like persona â a style of campaigning that, in Virginia, has worked for neither Trump nor past candidates who have tried to emulate him.
Party leaders fear Chase could win in a crowded primary, dooming their chances of taking back the Executive Mansion in a year they view as their best chance after more than a decade of statewide losses. The decision to hold a convention instead, where a candidate would have to win at least 51 percent of the vote, is widely understood as an effort to block Chaseâs candidacy.