After Republican Establishment Sticks It To Amanda Chase, Conservative Firebrand Announces Independent Run

GOP now has a mess on their hands

Today, the Virginia Republican Party voted to choose their gubernatorial nominee by way of convention, rather than holding a statewide primary. Conservative firebrand and grassroots favorite Amanda Chase promised she would run as an independent if the GOP went this route, and she made good on her promise, saying on Facebook, “It’s official. While I am a Republican; I will be seeking the nomination in a primary as an Independent.

This ensures a messy, nasty, and chaotic campaign all the way until November. One thing we know for certain from the last decade is that the Republican activist base is wildly out-of-step with most Virginians’ values, and now Kirk Cox will have to compete over their support. While it may not be a problem for him, since he’s been promoting far-right positions for years, it means he’ll have no chance to try and paper over his record.

This comes after the Washington Post reported that 5 additional candidates are considering jumping into the race given the weak field.

“The Republican primary was already going to be an all-out sprint to the right, but with Amanda Chase forging ahead with an independent run, whoever the nominee is will have to fight for the most conservative voters all the way until November,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Christina Amestoy. “Republicans have been out-of-step with most Virginians for a long time, and there doesn’t seem to be any path out of the wilderness this year. This Republican civil war is just the start of a very long and bumpy road to Election Day.”