Amanda Chase, Who Pushed Trump to Declare Martial Law, Loses GOP Nomination for Virginia Governor
On 5/11/21 at 9:52 AM EDT
Virginia Republicans opted not to put their faith in Amanda Chase, a self-described Trump in heels, to beat out Democrats for the governor s seat in November.
Chase, a state senator, made national headlines for accusing Democrats of treason in the 2020 election and advocating for former President Donald Trump to declare martial law to remain in power. She took issue with the decision to hold the Saturday convention instead of a primary election, and on Tuesday, she lost her bid for the GOP nomination for Virginia governor despite strong polling.
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They didn’t go full MAGA, nor did they embrace the Never Trump wing of the GOP. They took a pass on the clear establishment candidate as well despite endorsements from the two most recent GOP governors. Virginia Republicans chose a middle path of sorts yesterday in their convention, selecting a newcomer to run in 2021’s only open gubernatorial election.
It took six rounds to choose Glenn Youngkin, thanks in part to ranked-choice voting. Republicans hope the former CEO of The Carlyle Group investment firm can lead them to reversing a dozen years of futility in Virginia’s statewide elections:
Youngkin wins Virginia GOP governor race
Political newcomer Glenn Youngkin has emerged as Virginia Republicans’ nominee for governor, in a year when the GOP hopes to end a 12-year losing streak in statewide races. More than 30,000 delegates cast ballots at a convention Saturday. Youngkin is a businessman who campaigned as a conservative, Christian outsider. He defeated a hard-right contender in state Sen. Amanda Chase, who closely aligned herself with former President Donald Trump, as well as an establishment candidate, former House Speaker Kirk Cox. In the sixth and final round of counting on Monday night, Youngkin passed the 50% threshold to clinch the nomination. Chase finished third, while businessman Pete Snyder was second.
Kate Magee Joyce/Youngkin for Governor Campaign via AP
Glenn Youngkin, a former CEO and Christian conservative who campaigned as a political outsider, on Monday night secured the Republican nomination for Virginia governor and will face off against Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the November election.
Youngkin formally declared victory after fellow businessman Pete Snyder conceded after a day of ballot counting that began with five top GOP challengers before being whittled down.
Back in March, Democrat media operative POLITICO tried to derail Youngkin’s candidacy by supposedly uncovering a non-scandal among the Republican Party ranks:
On Wednesday, a video was released that captured a door-knocker approaching the home of a voter and identifying herself as working on behalf of the state party. But when pressed further, the canvasser says she works for Vanguard Field Strategies, an affiliate of Axiom Strategies, a prominent political consulting firm that is working for Youngkin.
Businessman Glenn Youngkin won the Republican nomination for Virginia’s 2021 gubernatorial election on Monday. He isn’t the candidate who said Donald Trump lost the 2020 election that’s former House Speaker Kirk Cox, who came in fourth at the state convention. He isn’t the candidate most closely associated with the former president that’s state Sen. Amanda Chase, who describes herself as “Trump in heels” and came in third. He isn’t the party insider that’s runner-up Pete Snyder, who served in top roles on the Virginia’s GOP coordinated campaign in 2012 and on the campaigns of the Republican gubernatorial nominees in 2013 and 2017.