‘Trump in heels’ Amanda Chase launches bid for Spanberger’s seat

Conservative Virginia state Sen. Amanda Chase (R) formally launched her congressional campaign for the state’s 7th Congressional District on Wednesday, setting up a potential challenge against incumbent Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.). 

Chase made the announcement in a tweet, with a link to her campaign website. She originally filed to run for Congress last month. 

The conservative state senator is a controversial figure in the Old Dominion, drawing the ire of Democrats and famously describing herself as “Trump in heels.” 

Chase, who ran in Virginia’s GOP gubernatorial convention earlier this year, campaigned alongside Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) during the general election. She received criticism from Democrats for speaking at a rally in October where attendees pledged allegiance to a flag that was flown during the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. She also attended the pro-Trump rally that preceded the riot and called attendees “patriots,” though she is not believed to have been among the mob that broke into the Capitol.

Her candidacy makes her the latest Republican to jump into the GOP primary in the 7th District. The other candidates include Taylor Keeney, former staffer to Gov. Bob McDonnell (R); state Sen. Bryce Reeves; Del. John McGuire; and Tina Ramirez, a former congressional staffer and religious freedom activist.

While Spanberger is seen as one of the most vulnerable members of Congress going into 2022, the Republican primary for the district stands to be contentious. One Republican operative described the race to The Hill last week as “ground zero for the struggle for the party.” The general election will also depends redistricting and what the district will look like after the final lines are drawn. 

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik’s (R-N.Y.) E-PAC named Keeney to its “Women to Watch” list, while Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears (R) appeared with Ramirez at a campaign rally in Chesterfield, Va., on Tuesday. However, Sears has not endorsed in the race.