Are State Senator Amanda Freeman Chase Donation Claims True?
Most Virginians really are not paying much attention to the 2021 Executive Office races yet given everything else going on in the current political environment in Virginia. Within the last week, not has Virginia has seen one of the first polling data get released from the Wason Center of Public Policy at Christopher Newport University and now has seen visits from Jill Biden and President Trump. Not many analysts are willing to say that Virginia is "in play" however the dynamic is very interesting given the time of the Wason poll and the visits.
Given that backdrop, it is of course no ones surprise that State Senator Amanda Freeman Chase (I) currently the only officially declared Republican candidate for the nomination to run for Governor of Virginia in 2021 must break into the news cycle to solidify a sense of relevancy. That is just how the Chase campaign operates given it announced the candidacy last February on the steps of the State Capitol in Richmond.
With the Presidential, U.S. Senate and all Congressional seats on the ballot this November it has been very hard for State Senator Chase to grab any of the political oxygen. Her campaign has utilized a mix of coat tail campaigning and "shock and awe". The coat tails aspect is linking herself to all the other events affiliated with other candidates. While continuing to campaign distancing herself from her colleagues in the Virginia Senate which she abandoned in November 2019 over political leadership differences, Chase continues to link herself to Daniel Gade ,Nick Freitas and of course President Trump.
With so much happening in Virginia, State Senator Chase managed to resurrect one of her own campaign misteps from early summer to get people on social media engaged on her page. After managing to politicize the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Chase posted on her official page regarding the manner in which her campaign accepts donations.
One of the central themes of the Chase campaign thus far is her "WE the People" platform. Chase asserted this week this:
https://www.facebook.com/Chase4Senate/posts/3482747691790682
"I'm sure you've noticed that we do things a little differently on this campaign. That's a GOOD thing!
Our campaign is funded by WE THE PEOPLE and not lobbyists or liberal PACs. As a result, I am turning to you to help kickstart the Take Back Virginia tour."
The assertion of course resurrected the claims made by Shaun Kenney, former Executive Director of Republican Party of Virginia mid summer in The Republican Standard that questioned Chase's donations. The initial assertion made by Kenney supported by financial reports filed and made public on the Virginia Public Access Project website were denied by State Senator Chase.
Chase has remained very defensive over her campaign donation since being made public mid summer. Chase raised about 200,000 in donations since declaring her intentions to run for Governor while her opponents on the Democratic side who announced months after Chase did have doubled and tripled her donations. Chase has avoided commenting too much on her shortfall yet has gotten very defensive on her social media platforms with those that have sought clarifications or explanations regarding some of the donations.
Chase has been challenged on donations she accepted from the Clean Virginia Fund which many feel is a progressive, environmental lobbying concern that supports the Green New Deal policies of the national Democratic Party founded by Michael Bills of Charlottesville. Chase repeatedly refusing to answer constituents on her facebook page directly regarding the donations instead deflecting and than attacking private citizens.
Clean Virginia is an independent 501c(4) organization with an associated Political Action Committee, Clean Virginia Fund
Chase went so far as to actually threaten a "cease and desist" order on her official page. This threat has become a repeated theme when Chase is question openly on her actions. A few months ago, Chase threatened Merle Rutledge a fellow Republicans seeking the nomination of the Virginia GOP to run for Governor with the recently passed law regarding interactions with Virginia legislators. Rutledge had called Chase out for her continued misrepresentations and for misleading voters with regard to her donations.
Chase has accepted donations from Clean Virginia Fund and organizations like the Virginia Citizens Defense League which both lobby their own specific interests in Richmond. Yet recall the claim made by Chase on her facebook page regarding not taking any money from "lobbyists".
There is a consistent pattern where Chase makes social media claims that are unfounded and when asked questions regarding said claims she goes on the offensive rather than answer direct questions. Chase recently asserted on the floor of the Senate that she knew what it was like to be the victim and attempted to tie the actions of a Capital Police officer she had an altercation with to the recent issues with police occurring across the nation. Chase implied the officer was unqualified and was thankful was no longer with the police force yet never revealed that the officer was promoted to federal law enforcement and had a stellar record with the Capitol Police.
Why would Chase use the phrase "liberal PAC's" ? Why would "liberal" ones donate to Chase in the first place? Many suspect she used this phrase as an attempt to mislead followers than the Clean Virginia Fund is not "liberal" yet its donations tell an entirely different story.
Clean Virginia has donated 100,000 to both Delegate Jennifer Foy and State Senator Jennifer McCllellan both potential opposition to Chase in 2021 should she secure the nomination.
The fact remains that Shaun Kenney's claims are supported by the financial statements of the Chase campaign. Chase has taken 10,000 in donations thus far from the Clean Virginia Fund which is a major contributor to liberal candidates in Virginia and many claim the money coming from Michael Bills, his wife, George Soros and Michael Bloomberg changed the entire 2019 campaign environment that resulted in the Democrats securing the "trifecta"---winning the House and Senate as well as holding the Executive.
The question remains why Chase would take such a donation? Why she would take funds from a organization that Shaun Kenney has described as "Green Antifa"? Another question is once have the matter raised why not simply admit the donation or return the donation? Chase has also repeatedly taken in her tenure some 20,000 from VCDL, 8,000 from Middle Resolution PAC and $7,500 from GoPAC.
Given the recent campaign financial reports of all races in Virginia this cycle, many have implied that the next reporting period will not be positive for Chase given all the money flowing into other races that are on the ballot in November. Nick Freitas in the VA-07 and Daniel Gade for example have raised over 1 million
for their respective campaigns.
Chases should retract her assertion publicly on her facebook page and apologize for misstating the facts regarding her donations.
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