March 18, 2020 News & Press Releases

Nick Freitas’s latest endorser has a history of violent and extreme rhetoric


by Democratic Party of Virginia

RICHMOND, VA - Nick Freitas, a Republican candidate for Congress in Virginia's 7th Congressional District, just announced he was endorsed by State Senator Amanda Chase, a fellow Republican best known for her extreme and violent rhetoric.

Chase has made a name for herself with out-of-line comments that have gotten her kicked out of her local Republican committee. She's so far outside the mainstream that her fellow Republican Senator Mark Obenshain slammed her when she recently announced her campaign for Governor, saying she "just doesn’t have a level of substance, maturity or seriousness that Virginians expect in a gubernatorial candidate." 

But Freitas was happy to have her support. Here's a brief recap of some of the behavior Nick Freitas was willing to welcome: 

  • Last April Amanda Chase cursed out a Capitol police officer who wouldn't let her park in a secure area. "Do you know who I am? I’m Senator Chase!" she yelled, after Chase told the officer she would not move her vehicle “unless you let the f---ing barricades down to let me in.”
  • In July, Chase wrote on Facebook that "it’s those who are naive and unprepared that end up raped," a disgusting misogynistic comment that drew the ire of sexual assault survivors. Chase refused to apologize. 
  • In August, after mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Chase called for more guns in public and the elimination of "gun free zones." 
  • In September, Chase ran a digital ad saying she was "not afraid to shoot down gun groups" a statement that many gun control advocates saw as a direct threat (Chase has made it clear she always carries a gun on her, even on the Senate floor). Chase later had to pull the ad.
  • In this year's General Assembly session, Chase has doubled down. She called supporters of a red flag law "traitors," refused to say whether she'd abide by the gun ban inside the Capitol, and accused Democrats of launching an "all-out war on our Constitution."

"Even Amanda Chase's Republican colleagues have rejected her because they know her behavior isn't just extreme, it's downright dangerous. Nick Freitas should have to explain why he's willing to welcome the support of someone who blames sexual assault survivors for being 'naive and unprepared,'said DPVA Communications Director Grant Fox. 

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