RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Conservative firebrand state Sen. Amanda Chase said Monday she is ending her bid for Congress, citing the impact of redistricting on Virginia’s legislative maps.
Chase had announced in November that she was joining the crowded race for the 7th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Democrat Abigail Spanberger. On Monday, she wrote in a letter addressed to supporters that since she no longer lives in the district, she plans to end her bid and finish the two years that remain in her Senate term.
Chase said she currently resides in the redrawn 1st Congressional District, but in her letter also ruled out a challenge against incumbent GOP U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman.
Legislative maps the Supreme Court of Virginia approved last week refashioned the districts, particularly the 7th, which used to stretch north-south across a swath of central Virginia that included the Richmond suburbs. It is now more compact and centered roughly around the city of Fredericksburg.
Chase, who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination for governor last year, currently represents a state Senate seat south of Richmond. She is a prominent supporter of former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud and attended a Jan. 6 rally with Trump shortly before the attack on the Capitol.
Since the new boundaries were made clear, Spanberger has committed to seeking reelection in the 7th.
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