Former Virginia state senator Amanda Chase has been given the boot from her county’s Republican Party, according to a letter obtained by RedState on Tuesday.
According to the letter, Chase was expelled by the Chesterfield County Republican Committee and is unable to participate in party activities “for a period of four years.”
“Based on your actions during the 2023 Election Cycle,” the county committee wrote, “you have effectively chosen to withdraw your membership from the Republican Party of Virginia.”
Chase was running for re-election in 2023 when she drew two Republican opponents for her seat — former state senator Glen Sturtevant and nonprofit leader Tina Ramirez. She was fiercely loyal to former president Donald Trump and even called herself “Trump in heels,” which made her a favorite of pro-Trump Republicans. However, she ultimately lost her seat in the primary, and in the general election, she rebelled.
She announced on social media post that she wanted to launch a write-in campaign “against the then-Republican Nominee, now-duly elected Senator Glen Sturtevant.” Chase also “publicly advocated for Leslie Haley’s self-removal from office” and declared she couldn’t bring herself to vote for Sturtevant.
That caused a rift between her and other members of her party, and it appears to have been the primary cause of the ejection from the party apparatus in her county.
Prior to the 2023 race, she also entertained a run for Congress, but later called off the effort. In 2021, she was one of several Republicans to run for governor, and she ultimately served as a surrogate for Glenn Youngkin’s campaign, rallying voters in the rural parts of the state. Youngkin, however, remained quiet during her senate primary in 2023.
In 2021, she was censured by the state senate after being critiqued by members of both parties. She later sued in response to the censure, saying the action caused her to suffer “public embarrassment, humiliation, mental anguish and loss of seniority.”
You can read the full text of the county party’s letter below.
FULL TEXT
Dear Former Senator Chase,
We write to inform you that, based on your actions during the 2023 Election Cycle, you have effectively chosen to withdraw your membership from the Republican Party of Virginia and your ability to participate in party processes for a period of four years.
Your social media post expressing intent to launch a write-in campaign against the then-Republican Nominee, now-duly elected Senator Glen Sturtevant for State Senate District 12, was noted. Additionally, during a convened meeting of the CCRC in June 2023, you publicly advocated for Leslie Haley’s self-removal from office and voiced your inability to support Glen Sturtevant for the State Senate, citing your perception of him being dishonorable prior to adjournment of that meeting. Enclosed with this correspondence are duplicates of your social media post and your signed acknowledgment of Articles I and VIl of the Republican Party of Virginia’s State Party Plan.
In light of these circumstances and the provisions outlined in Article I, Section 2, and Article VII, Section C of the State Party Plan, you have effectively chosen to be ineligible to participate in party nomination processes and membership for four years.
Respectfully,
Chesterfield County Republican Committee
