Virginia state Sen Amanda Chase, self-billed ‘Trump in heels,’ announces bid for Congress to challenge Rep. Abigail Spanberger

Chase has been known for provocative antics while serving in the state Senate since 2016

State Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, right, takes part in an August demonstration in Richmond calling for an audit of the 2020 general election in Virginia (For The Washington Post/Parker Michels-Boyce)

Virginia state Sen Amanda Chase (Chesterfield), a Republican firebrand who has described herself as “Trump in heels”, will seek to challenge Rep Abigail Spanberger, D, in the 7th Congressional District, she announced Wednesday morning.

Chase, who most recently ran a failed bid for the Republican nomination for governor, became at least the seventh Republican seeking to unseat Spanberger in what is sure to be a brawl of a primary season in one of Virginia’s most competitive districts. The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting the district hard, seeing it as key to helping Republicans retake the majority in the U.S. House after Spanberger was one of several Virginia Democrats to flip a red seat blue in 2018.

Chase has been known for provocative antics while serving in the state Senate since 2016, and for her unabashed support for former president Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud, at one point supporting Trump declaring martial law to prevent his removal from office. She gave a speech in Washington on Jan. 6 hours before the Capitol insurrection, and then was censured by a bipartisan majority in the state Senate for praising the rioters who breached the Capitol as “patriots.”

Chase, who came in third in the GOP gubernatorial convention and then stumped for Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, R, across the state, immediately called for a “full forensic audit” of the 2020 election after Youngkin defeated Terry McAuliffe, D, though there has been no evidence of widespread fraud. And she said Wednesday she would continue to make election integrity a top priority in her campaign for Congress, such as supporting a voter photo ID law.

In an interview, Chase argued she was best equipped to defeat Spanberger because she not only represents part of the district in the state Senate but has worked on campaigns for two Republican congressmen who represented the 7th - Eric Cantor and Dave Brat - along with former Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R, in the 4th. She stressed, however, that she does not consider herself a politician and would be running as an outsider willing to challenge the status quo. “I hold politicians accountable even while serving right along with them,” she said.

She indicated she would be pulling hard from Youngkin’s playbook to energize parents, by focusing on critical race theory and parental rights in education. She also listed ending vaccine and mask mandates as her top priority.

“People know me,” she said. “I have a proven conservative voting record on the issues for seven years. I was a consistent reliable vote for the Constitution, for school choice, for being a strong advocate for the Second Amendment and also one thing that is really the clear issue in the governor’s race: We saw parents want to be involved in their child’s education” - something Chase said she has sought to lobby for in the General Assembly for years.

Trump narrowly lost the 7th District to President Joe Biden in 2020, putting in question prospects for candidates who have been Trump loyalists. But that’s as the district is currently drawn. The core uncertainty of this crowded race is what the district will look like in 2022 because of congressional redistricting, which takes place after the census every 10 years.

After the bipartisan Virginia Redistricting Commission failed to agree on any maps - congressional or state legislative - the Virginia Supreme Court took over the task and is only now in the process of selecting special masters to assist in drawing new lines.

Youngkin won Spanberger’s district by roughly 11 points, perhaps an encouraging sign for Republicans - but again, as the district is currently drawn.

Of the Republican challengers who have filed so far, one is Chase’s colleague in the Senate, Sen. Bryce E. Reeves, R-Spotsylvania. Reeves was among the Republican senators to vote in favor of censuring Chase for her comments after Jan. 6 - something Chase said she planned to use to campaign against him.

Del. John J. McGuire III, R-Goochland, another lawmaker in the General Assembly who represents parts of the 7th District, has also filed paperwork to run in the district. Like Chase, he faced backlash after revealing in an interview with The Washington Post that he was present at the Jan. 6 rally, though he said he did not partake in the riot or go inside.

Tina Ramirez, founder of a nonprofit focused on international religious freedom and a small-business owner, is currently leading the field in fundraising, with roughly $248,000 on hand. Behind Ramirez are Taylor Keeney, a former spokeswoman for former governor Robert F. McDonnell, R, and John Castorani, a veteran who previously unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in an Alabama congressional district.

Other candidates include veteran Derrick Anderson and Gary Barve, who recently moved to Virginia from California.

The Washington Post