Virginia Republican Party Confirms They’ll Hold a Convention, Setting Off a Political Firestorm

Last night, the Virginia Republican Party reaffirmed their choice to hold an in-person convention to choose their gubernatorial nominees. An in-person event could be illegal due to the state’s COVID-19 restrictions, but the Virginia GOP has an even bigger problem on their hands – frontrunner Amanda Chase and her supporters are mad, and hell hath no fury like a Trump Republican scorned.

Chase could now follow through on her threat to run as an independent, which she has vowed to do if the Virginia GOP holds a “rigged” convention. She has hinted she plans to take a page out of her mentor Donald Trump’s book and accuse the VA GOP of cheating should she lose the nomination: “I will tell you this: if there’s no cheating involved, I do believe that I would win a convention.” [15:40]

Chase’s Trumpian supporters were equally as suspicious of the VA GOP – commenting “This is an absolute joke,” “The convention is RIGGED,” “This smells fixed,” “Are you trying to rig the choice to select your choice over ours?,” “Running a convention from cars? This thing is gonna be rigged,” and “This is all to silence Amanda Chase.”

The VA GOP has been a complete “train wreck” this year, and their long list of mediocre candidates for governor are in a battle to prove who is the most extreme. Party leaders have expressed their frustration with the nasty infighting, saying when Republicans are divided, “they have no shot of winning.”

Three former GOP governors wrote a letter urging the VA GOP Chairman and SCC to “put aside differences” and choose a canvas over a convention – but Republicans couldn’t unite, leaving the potentially illegal, parking lot convention as the only option. Buckle up folks – the VA GOP is in for quite a ride.

“The Virginia Republican Party’s decision to hold a convention ensures a bitter and divisive nomination fight all the way through Election Day,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Christina Amestoy. “The VA GOP is screwed no matter what – if Amanda Chase wins, they’re stuck with ‘Trump in heels’ as their nominee, and if she loses, she’ll insist the convention was rigged, run as an independent, and force the establishment nominee to fight with her for the most conservative voters. Either way, the Republican nominee for governor is guaranteed to be out of touch with the values of the commonwealth.”