Virginia Senate votes to censure GOP gubernatorial candidate who defended Capitol rioters

Virginia’s state Senate voted 24-9 on Wednesday to censure state Sen. Amanda Chase (R), a gubernatorial candidate, over actions including her attendance at a Jan. 6 pro-Trump rally in Washington and her praise for the rioters who struck the Capitol after the event. 

While Chase’s praise of the rioters as “patriots” was a final straw for some lawmakers, the censure resolution also incorporated incidents such as cursing at a state Capitol Police Officer during a dispute over a parking spot.

“The inflammatory statements and actions of Senator Amanda F. Chase during her tenure in the Senate of Virginia have created and aggravated tensions, misled constituents and citizens, and obstructed the Senate’s business in service of the Commonwealth, and such behavior constitutes a failure to uphold her oath of office, misuse of office, and conduct unbecoming of a Senator and, collectively, has caused a material effect upon the conduct of her office,” reads the final version of the resolution, obtained by a Richmond-area ABC affiliate.

In addition to her comments on the insurrection and the incident with the officer, the censure resolution cites Chase posting contact information for General Assembly colleagues whose votes she disagreed with and remarking, in reference to her own decision to carry a gun, “It’s those who are naive and unprepared that end [up] raped.”

Chase accused the chamber of passing the resolution in an attempt to neutralize her gubernatorial campaign, tweeting “This censure is nothing more than a politically driven attack because I’m the front runner for Governor both in funds raised; beating former Speaker [Kirk] Cox, and largest social media presence in Virginia.”

This censure is nothing more than a politically driven attack because I’m the front runner for Governor both in funds raised; beating former Speaker Cox, and largest social media presence in Virginia. https://t.co/R6exi3zmzD

— Senator Amanda Chase (@AmandaChaseVA) January 27, 2021

Republican state Sen. Mark Obenshain said his colleague “demonstrated an open and omnidirectional hostility to the occupants of this room.” Obenshain said he had procedural issues with the resolution and ultimately abstained, but made clear he did not want to convey that he approved of Chase’s conduct, according to The Washington Post.