Amanda Chase, who lost her bid for the Virginia Republican gubernatorial nomination, said Tuesday she won’t run as an independent.
An independent bid by Chase, a state senator and vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump, would have potentially siphoned off votes from the Republican gubernatorial nominee, Glenn Youngkin, to whom she lost last week after ballots were counted from the party’s “unassembled” convention. Chase had pledged to run as an independent if rival Pete Snyder, a wealthy entrepreneur, won the GOP nod for governor.
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Chase placed a third in a field of seven, when 54,000 registered Republican delegates cast their ballots on May 8 through a ranked-choice voting system.
When asked by WRVA’s John Reid if she felt the convention was rigged, Chase responded, “I don’t think it’s an either/or. I’m not running as an independent, so let me just put that to rest. Since everybody keeps wondering,” she replied.
“I’ve already had several conversations with Glenn to congratulate him on his win,” she said.
Chase, known for describing herself as Trump “in heels” and a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, was particularly critical of Snyder during the primary campaign. Immediately prior to Youngkin’s win, she threatened to run as a third-party candidate if Snyder won the nomination.
Although Snyder lost to Youngkin, Democrats hoped Chase would still mount an independent run out of frustration if the process of the unassembled convention itself would favor candidates the state party may prefer, and Chase has a history of political struggles within her own party.
Nevertheless, the conservative who has been a member of the Virginia Senate since 2016, representing Amelia County, the city of Colonial Heights, and part of Chesterfield County, appears ready to get behind the Republican ticket. Following Winsome Sears’s victory for the lieutenant governor nomination, Chase wrote on her Facebook page, “I believe Winsome Sears will usher in the next generation of firebrand Republicans who are passionate, articulate, and uncompromising on our conservative values.”
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A third-party run would likely pull voters away from the Republican nominee. Virginia Republicans argue Democrat Terry McAuliffe benefited from Libertarian Robert Sarvis being part of the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial race. Ultimately, McAuliffe beat Republican Ken Cuccinelli by 2.6 percentage points. Sarvis had 6.5%.
