January 25, 2021 News & Press Releases

Weekend in Review: Virginia Republicans Mired in Chaos and Brutal Division


by Democratic Party of Virginia

Prominent synonyms for Virginia GOP: Frustration, confusion, anger, uncertainty, incompetence, chaos, intense division

Saturday meeting prompts Amanda Chase to renew her threat to run as a third party candidate and tank the GOP

Richmond, VA — This weekend, Virginia Republicans met again for another bitter, hours-long debate over plans to select nominees this year. With members and candidates openly fighting with each other, the Virginia GOP’s civil war raged on, prompting frontrunner Amanda Chase to renew her threat to launch a third party candidacy and sink the GOP’s chances. This chaotic meeting only added to the RPV’s profound struggle to compete, as recent financial disclosures revealed that the party had only $1,514 in the bank as of December 31st.

In a close vote, the GOP reaffirmed the decision to pick its gubernatorial nominee in a convention -- for now. Republicans could still take up thematter again before the end-of-February deadline to request a primary. Saturday’s meeting made clear that while a finaldecision has not yet been made and a clear plan for hosting a convention during a pandemic does not exist, the brutal infighting is nowhere near over:

  • One committee member noted that “byhaving this infighting, we are making the party weak.”
  • One member supporting primaries highlighted the distrust and fear inherent in the GOP debate, voicing concerns that convention sites could be subject to antifa attacks.
  • At one point the meeting “devolved into name calling,” with an unidentified member interrupting a convention supporter to call her a “witch.”
  • The Virginia GOP Chairman publicly complained over the weekend that the cash-strapped party's deteriorating headquarters is a "literal ghetto."

After the disastrous meeting, one GOP consultant stated that uncertainty is harming Virginia Republicans and their chances in the 2021 election:

  • "They’re killing the party, that’s what’s happening. If you want to know the sense of it, I don’t know how we win in November at this pace."
  • "They’re going to be stuck with the same jersey of incompetence that the GOP has shown.”

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