Roughly one week ago, we condemned three state delegates — Dave LaRock, R-Loudoun, Mark Cole, R-Spotsylvania, and Ronnie Campbell, R-Rockbridge — for prodding then-Vice President Mike Pence to nullify Virginia’s election results.
LaRock, Cole and Campbell are entitled to their right to free speech and to their personal beliefs, but a majority of Virginians and Americans voted to elect Joe Biden as president. Their decision to use official letterhead in their correspondence with Pence was not in line with the integrity of the offices they hold, and House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn’s decision to strip each of them of a committee post was the right call.
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The recent conduct of state Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, is even more perplexing. On Jan. 6, Chase went to Washington, D.C., and attended the “Stop the Steal” rally hours before it devolved into a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Chase said she had returned to a hotel before such action took place, but in a Facebook video later that evening, she also suggested Jan. 6 was the start of a “revolution.”
“I support peaceful protest, but I’m telling you, when you back the people of Virginia and the United States into a corner, you will have a revolution,” Chase said, per a Jan. 8 Times-Dispatch news report. “And I believe that’s what you’re starting to see.”
In the past two weeks, Chase’s attendance at the rally and her online rhetoric have carried consequences. Facebook suspended her state Senate account. State Senate colleagues voted 37-1 to remove Chase from the local government committee.
That was her lone remaining post after losing three positions the previous year when she left the Republican caucus. And earlier this week, a state Senate committee voted 9-6 to advance a resolution to censure her for “fomenting insurrection” at the Jan. 6 rally.
“Our words matter and we must be held accountable if we promote falsehoods that encourage violence and sedition,” said state Sen. John Bell, D-Loudoun, who sponsored the resolution to censure Chase.
“I don’t need to defend myself because I didn’t do anything wrong,” Chase responded Tuesday, adding the resolution was “politically motivated” in light of her run for governor.
Here’s where the problem really emerges. The General Assembly is devoting far too much time to policing the behavior of one member. And Chase is using her elected office to promote personal views and ambitions that appear to be separate from — or even in conflict with — her duties as a state senator.
The oath is clear: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge all the duties incumbent upon me as ____________________ according to the best of my ability, (so help me God).”
And right now, lawmakers are tasked with promulgating solutions to end the COVID-19 pandemic, revive our schools and repair our economy. It is not their job to accept or to litigate Chase’s thoughts alone, and the distraction is real.
Serving in the General Assembly is a different responsibility than campaigning for higher office. That’s why some candidates — see former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, who is running for governor — decide to step down to focus on one task over another (although not being in the legislature means those seeking office are free to raise money).
Is Chase interested in campaigning or governing? If campaigning is more important, she should resign from the General Assembly, spend her time on the trail promoting her brand and focus on running for governor. Otherwise, shape up and do what the 11th Senate District voters sent you to Richmond to do — be a lawmaker, not a troublemaker.
— Pamela Stallsmith and Chris Gentilviso