The state senator has attracted attention in the past for her commentary on rape, homosexuality, and Capitol personnel.
State Sen. Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield), known for making outlandish and bigoted comments, became the first Republican to say she’ll be running for governor next year.
Chase said she is planning to seek the Republican nomination, but she did not rule out running as an independent if “any shenanigans that are pulled.”
Elected to the state senate in 2015, she has repeatedly garnered negative attention for her outlandish and bigoted comments.
Last year she got in a screaming fight with a Capitol Police officer who refused to let her park in a secure area. The officer alleged that Chase became irate during the incident, calling the Senate Clerk Susan Clarke “Miss Piggy,” and complaining that she gets to “park her fat ass up front.”
That kind of speech was ironic coming from Chase, who in 2016 voted for a bill that would require K-12 teachers to inform parents if any classroom materials contain “explicit content.” While discussing the bill, Chase described ‘Beloved,’ Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery, as “creating a date rape environment.”
This wasn’t the only time Sen. Chase has shared her controversial opinions about rape. In July, she received national media coverage for comments claiming only naive and unprepared women were ever raped.
Chase has shared some of her more controversial opinions on her radio show. Over the years she referred to homosexuality as “sexual dysphoria,” expressed concern that the ERA treats women like men and expressed support for conversion therapy.
This past November, Chase announced that she would no longer caucus with Virginia Republicans, because she thought the party had become too liberal.
“We’ve expanded Medicaid, raised taxes — that’s not Republican,” Chase said. “These are outside of what the GOP stands for.”
Politics
Prescription drugs are getting cheaper for seniors thanks to Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act
Prescription drug costs are falling by the thousands this year for more than a million American seniors due to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction...
VIDEO: Virginians need affordable prescription drugs
In 2023, AARP Virginia polled voters of all ages and found that 35% of Virginians chose not to fill a prescription due to cost. If passed, Senate...
Local News
Shop small: Local stores for holiday shopping in NoVA
Here are the top 12 things people from VA buy online, plus where you can buy them from a local business in northern Virginia instead In an age when...
A merry mix-up involving Toys for Tots in Southside Virginia
It sounds like a real-life tale from a Charles Dickens novel, but fear not: In classic style, all the twists turn around for good by the end. ...